It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.

— Plato

Scientific American.com

Syndicate content
Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.
Updated: 17 hours 47 min ago

How and Why Humans Began to Sing, a Musicology and Neuroscience Perspective

Fri, 07/11/2025 - 6:00am

Musicologists and neuroscientists have been trying to understand what turns speech into music.

Categories: Astronomy

Trump Names Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as Interim NASA Chief

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 12:45pm

The selection of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to temporarily lead NASA adds to the deep political uncertainties already facing the space agency

Categories: Astronomy

Nanoplastics Make Up Most of the Ocean’s Plastic Pollution

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 12:30pm

Nanoplastics—particles smaller than a human hair—can pass through cell walls and enter the food web. New research suggests 27 million metric tons of nanoplastics are spread across just the top layer of the North Atlantic

Categories: Astronomy

Extreme Heat Endangers AI Data Centers

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 12:00pm

A new analysis warns that AI facilities could be forced to stop operating because of water shortages and blackouts

Categories: Astronomy

Ancient Tooth Proteins Rewrite the Rhino Family Tree—Are Dinosaurs Next?

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 11:00am

Molecules from the 20-million-year-old teeth of a rhino relative are among the oldest ever sequenced, opening tantalizing possibilities to scientists

Categories: Astronomy

Can AI Replace Air Traffic Controllers to Reduce Airline Accidents?

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 10:00am

Tests in London and Singapore could reveal whether AI can improve the safety of air travel

Categories: Astronomy

Attacks on Higher Education Are Attacks on All Americans

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 8:00am

If Americans don’t fight back against efforts to dismantle higher education, the U.S. will lose lifesaving medical research, innovation that spurs our economy and the ability to freely study science and society

Categories: Astronomy

Four New Autism Subtypes Link Genes to Children's Traits

Thu, 07/10/2025 - 7:00am

Autism has at least four subtypes, an analysis of more than 5,000 children’s genes, traits and developmental trajectories has shown

Categories: Astronomy

‘Science Fair’ of Lost Research Protests Trump Cuts

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 5:00pm

A protest at a congressional office building highlighted future research findings that vast cuts to science will erase

Categories: Astronomy

Texas Floods Were a Known Risk, but Little Has Been Done for Protection

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 12:00pm

Texas has identified more than $50 billion in flood control needs, but lawmakers have devoted just $1.4 billion to address them

Categories: Astronomy

Japan’s New Undersea Earthquake Detection System Will Improve Tsunami Prediction

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 11:15am

Japan’s new earthquake-detection network lengthens warning times, and researchers in Wales have harnessed nuclear blast detectors to gauge tsunami risks. But the U.S. lags in monitoring the massive Cascadia megathrust fault

Categories: Astronomy

ChatGPT and Gemini AIs Have Uniquely Different Writing Styles

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 8:00am

ChatGPT and Gemini AI write in different idioms, linguists find

Categories: Astronomy

Tracking Coral Reef Health with Bioacoustics

Wed, 07/09/2025 - 6:00am

The underwater world relies on sound signals—so what happens when a noisy reef falls silent?

Categories: Astronomy

Gut Microbe Deficiency in U.S. Babies Tied to Asthma, Allergies, Autoimmune Disorders

Tue, 07/08/2025 - 1:30pm

Babies lacking in key gut bacteria are at greater risk of developing asthma, allergies or eczema

Categories: Astronomy

Flood Forecasts in Texas and Beyond Could Worsen with Trump NWS Cuts

Tue, 07/08/2025 - 12:30pm

Forecasts and warnings largely worked during the recent flooding catastrophe in Texas. Those systems are expected to degrade as President Donald Trump’s cuts to the National Weather Service, satellites and other key services take hold

Categories: Astronomy

Science Makes the U.S. a Great Nation

Tue, 07/08/2025 - 10:00am

History tells us what happens when great nations attack science

Categories: Astronomy

Cutting-Edge Physics and Chemistry Now Unfold One Attosecond at a Time

Tue, 07/08/2025 - 8:00am

An attosecond—or 0.000000000000000001 second—is no time at all for a person. That is not so for electrons, atoms and molecules, and laser-wielding scientists are revealing the action

Categories: Astronomy

Why Texas ‘Flash Flood Alley’ Is So Deadly, Explained by Geology

Mon, 07/07/2025 - 4:40pm

A hydrologist explains why Texas Hill Country is known as Flash Flood Alley and how its geography and geology can lead to heavy downpours and sudden, destructive floods

Categories: Astronomy

The Benefits of Raising Conscientious Kids

Mon, 07/07/2025 - 4:00pm

Being conscientious will serve kids in the long run. Here are some tips to help them learn that trait

Categories: Astronomy

Why Did Texas Flash Flood Waters Rise So Quickly?

Mon, 07/07/2025 - 12:00pm

Flash floods happen when heavy rains unleash more water than the ground can absorb, causing that water to pile up and flow to low-lying areas

Categories: Astronomy