Scientific American.com
Extreme heat is breaking records in the East. Here’s why
A Bermuda high parked over the western Atlantic is pulling sweltering air up from the south, challenging records in parts of the eastern U.S.
The U.S. just experienced its hottest 12 months on record
March was a scorching 9.35 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th-century average for the month, capping the hottest 12-month stretch for the U.S. since records began in 1895
SpaceX punts Starship V3 launch to May 21 as investigation opens into Starbase worker’s death
SpaceX is now targeting the evening of May 21 to launch the latest and largest version of its Starship megarocket for the first time
What it’s like being stuck in a hantavirus quarantine for six weeks
Scientific American spoke to one of the people who are currently being monitored for possible hantavirus infection at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska
‘Sensational’ proof topples decades-old geometry problem
The sudden resolution of a well-known conjecture highlights the growing adoption of AI as an assistant in high-level mathematics
New NASA Hubble image captures a rare, turbulent galaxy
The new image shows the galaxy NGC 1266, a transitional object with a clutch of young stars that likely collided with a smaller galaxy 500 million years ago
Scientists race to develop Ebola drugs as outbreak surges
Clinical trials for treatments against Ebola Bundibugyo virus are ‘in a strong position’ to be launched quickly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda
Math puzzle: Fix the matchstick equation
Fix the matchstick equation in this math puzzle
Female beast hunters battled leopards in ancient Rome
Mosaic depictions of a weapon-wielding female gladiator are the first physical evidence showing women in ancient Rome could be skilled beast hunters
NASA dreams of a nuclear power plant on the moon. Here’s why
To build its moon base, NASA needs a lot of power
Which problems will quantum computers solve—and when?
Quantum computing could lead to revolutions in cryptography, materials design and telecommunications. But fulfilling those promises could be many years away
A field guide to quantum computer qubits
Here are six ways to build a quantum computer
New high‑resolution map transforms what we know about Roman roads and the Roman Empire
A massive digitization project has nearly doubled the known extent of the first continent-scale road network
Quantum computing is reaching its make-or-break moment
Will computers based on quantum physics really change the world?
How commercial satellites are changing modern warfare
Commercial satellites can now watch much of Earth in near-real time. Militaries are learning new ways to fool them
Readers respond to the February 2026 issue
Letters to the editors for the February 2026 issue of Scientific American
New ways to keep from losing muscle on Ozempic
Ozempic and just getting older take off muscle. New therapies could retain it
Helion Energy is building a fusion power plant. Can its technology deliver?
This company says its pulsed plasma machine will deliver electricity to the grid by 2029. Some physicists warn that its promises are outrunning what the technology has proved
The Riemann hypothesis is a million-dollar math problem hardly anyone is trying to solve
The intimidating legacy of the scariest problem in mathematics
