Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people

— Carl Sagan

Scientific American.com

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Updated: 13 hours 27 min ago

Wild Orangutan Uses Herbal Medicine to Treat His Wound

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 11:00am

Researchers say this may be the first observation of a nonhuman animal purposefully treating a wound with a medicinal plant

Categories: Astronomy

Collapsing Sheets of Spacetime Could Explain Dark Matter and Why the Universe ‘Hums’

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 10:00am

Domain walls, long a divisive topic in physics, may be ideal explanations for some bizarre cosmic quirks

Categories: Astronomy

The Famine Developing in Gaza Follows a Clear Pattern

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 9:00am

Famine is affecting an increasing number of people in Gaza, Sudan, Haiti and elsewhere around the globe, and its development follows a clear pattern

Categories: Astronomy

Is Sleeping on the Floor Good for Your Back?

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 8:00am

Scientific American asked experts whether sleeping on a hard surface is actually beneficial for back pain

Categories: Astronomy

Repression draws attention to campus protests, like those over the conflict in Gaza, and makes them grow

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 7:00am

Repression draws attention to campus protests and makes them grow

Categories: Astronomy

AI Is Helping Referee Games in Major Sports Leagues, but Limitations Remain

Thu, 05/02/2024 - 6:45am

Basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer leagues are starting to use AI to help call the shots

Categories: Astronomy

How Some Common Medications Can Make People More Vulnerable to Heat

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 4:00pm

As climate change brings more intense heat waves, scientists are trying to understand how certain medications interact with the body’s thermoregulation system

Categories: Astronomy

3 Ways Scientific Thinking Could Help Save the World

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 10:00am

A physicist, a philosopher and a psychologist are working together to bring better, smarter decision-making to the masses

Categories: Astronomy

Longest-Ever COVID Infection Lasted More Than 600 Days

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 9:30am

A Dutch man with lymphoma and other blood disorders was infected with the COVID-causing virus for nearly two years, during which time the pathogen evolved numerous mutations

Categories: Astronomy

Meteorites in Antarctica Are Getting Harder to Find because of Climate Change

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 9:00am

As climate change warms the poles, precious Antarctic meteorites will melt their way down out of scientists’ reach

Categories: Astronomy

China’s Population Could Shrink to Half by 2100

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 8:00am

Is China’s future population drop a crisis or an opportunity?

Categories: Astronomy

Exercise Helps Your Brain as Much as Your Body

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 7:30am

Instead of just asking questions about how exercise helps our bodies, let’s also consider how it helps our brains

Categories: Astronomy

Chatbots Have Thoroughly Infiltrated Scientific Publishing

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 6:45am

One percent of scientific articles published in 2023 showed signs of generative AI’s potential involvement, according to a recent analysis

Categories: Astronomy

Can Food Work as Medicine?

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 6:30am

Doctors are starting to prescribe vegetables or entire meals to ward off disease.

Categories: Astronomy

How Do We Know Anything For Certain?

Wed, 05/01/2024 - 6:00am

Some practical advice for how to sit, happily, joyfully, with uncertainty—and in doing so, grow and learn from it.

Categories: Astronomy

Wealthy Nations Agree to 2035 Deadline for Ending Coal for the First Time

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 12:30pm

The G7 group of wealthy, developed economies has agreed to phase out coal-fired power, the most polluting form of energy, by 2035

Categories: Astronomy

Nearsightedness Rates Are Soaring. Here’s Why

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 9:00am

Myopia is becoming so common some people deem it “epidemic.” Here’s why getting kids outside and treating nearsightedness early is crucial for healthy eyesight

Categories: Astronomy

Do Insects Have an Inner Life? Animal Consciousness Needs a Rethink

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 8:00am

A declaration signed by dozens of scientists says there is “a realistic possibility” for elements of consciousness in reptiles, insects and mollusks

Categories: Astronomy

U.S. Needs to Better Track Bird Flu Spread in Farm Animals, Farm Workers, Epidemiologist Says

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 6:45am

Four years after a mysterious respiratory virus jumped from animals into humans and launched the COVID pandemic, wary epidemiologists are keeping a close eye on a strain of avian influenza that is spreading among U.S. dairy cows

Categories: Astronomy

ADHD Can Have Unexpected Benefits

Tue, 04/30/2024 - 6:00am

A new book by Penn and Kim Holderness seeks to correct misconceptions about ADHD and accentuate the plus side of the condition

Categories: Astronomy