Scientific American.com
Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Acts Like a ‘Brake’ on Motivation
A new study in macaques identifies a brain circuit that acts like a “brake” on motivation
These Bizarre, Centuries-Old Greenland Sharks May Have a Hidden Longevity Superpower
The very, very long-lived Greenland sharks were long thought to be practically blind. But a new study finds that they not only can see but also maintain their vision into old age
The Best Skywatching and Stargazing Events of 2026
Total eclipses, lunar occultations, planetary conjunctions and meteor showers await stargazers this year
The Weight-Loss Drug Revolution—From Shots to Pills and the Science behind It All
Behind the hype of GLP-1 medications lies complex science, serious side effects and a pharmaceutical arms race.
Ocean Temperatures Just Hit a Dire New Record
The world’s ocean absorbed more heat in 2025 than in any other year on record
NASA to Rush Astronauts Home after Medical Incident on ISS in Unprecedented Move
NASA on Thursday announced it would take the extraordinary step of bringing four crewmembers back to Earth from the space station before their official mission end
What Happens after You Quit Weight-Loss Drugs? A New Study Offers Some Clues
A new study finds that people who quit weight-loss medications, including GLP-1 drugs, regain weight four times faster than people who stop dieting or exercising
Some Dogs Learn New Words Just Like Toddlers Do
A new study reveals that some smart dogs can learn words just by overhearing humans’ conversations
Why a January Heat Wave Is Breaking Records across the South
An area of high pressure is bringing record-high heat to some parts of the U.S., with an added boost from climate change
Do Monkeys Make Faces on Purpose?
A new study suggests that primate facial expressions may not just be reflex
This Newly Discovered Asteroid, Almost Half a Mile Wide, Just Set a New Space Record
A giant asteroid has sent astronomers into a spin, setting a record for how fast it rotates on its axis
Supermassive Black Hole ‘Snowplows’ Can Stifle Star Formation in Spiral Galaxies
A wobbling jet from a giant, voracious black hole is suppressing star formation in a distant galaxy—and astronomers have never seen anything quite like it before
Archeologists Just Found a 2,000-Year-Old Battle Trumpet That May Be Linked to Queen Boudica
This newly discovered Iron Age instrument may have been played in the Celtic resistance against the Roman Empire
Why Trump’s Exit from Pivotal Climate Treaty Matters
In the latest effort to undermine climate action, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, which underpins global efforts to address rising temperatures
Jellyfish and Sea Anemones Sleep Just Like Us
Sea anemones and jellyfish don’t have brains, but the way their neurons behave during sleep shows some surprising similarities to humans
NASA Mulls Ending Space Station Crew-11 Mission Early after Astronaut Suffers Medical Issue
NASA may bring some of the ISS’s crew home earlier than planned after one member experienced a medical issue just hours before two astronauts were due to complete a space walk outside the station on Wednesday
OpenAI Would Like You to Share Your Health Data with Its ChatGPT
Users will be able to upload their health data to ChatGPT in order to get what OpenAI has described as a more personalized experience
Schmidt Sciences Announces Plan for Lazuli, a Private Space Telescope
Bigger than Hubble and launching as soon as 2029, the Lazuli Space Observatory would be the first-ever full-scale private space telescope
Humans Made Poisoned Arrowheads Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Thought
The use of poison on arrows marked a revolution in human hunting technology—new evidence suggests it happened tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known
The Race to Find Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Just Took a Major Twist
Scientists have uncovered genetic evidence that they say may be linked to the Renaissance master, but some experts are more skeptical
