Scientific American.com
As the U.S. marks a year of measles outbreaks, is the disease back for good?
The U.S. has held its measles-free status for more than 25 years. Experts say unrelenting outbreaks in the past year may change that
Is AI really conscious—or are we bringing it to life?
In rethinking whether AI is sentient, we are asking bigger questions about cognition, human-machine interaction and even our own consciousness
Can a ‘brain in a vat’ be conscious?
Consciousness researchers studying “islands of awareness” have found that disconnected brains likely sink into a strange form of deep sleep
How extremophile molds are destroying museum artifacts
Extremophile molds are invading art museums and devouring their collections. Stigma and climate change have fueled their spread
February 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago
Giant atoms; corpses for science
Which dog breed stereotypes are true? Here’s the science
A large dataset shows some dog stereotypes are based in reality, and others might be unfair characterizations
Readers respond to the October 2025 issue
Letters to the editors for the October 2025 issue of Scientific American
A bright light in the dark
The Nobel Prizes remind us how science can unite society and inspire hope for the future
What is consciousness? Science faces its hardest problem yet
Will brain science deliver answers about consciousness or hit another wall?
JWST could finally spot the very first stars in the universe
The James Webb Space Telescope should soon be able to spot the first generation of stars in space
Heal injuries faster with new science
Motion is the new potion, and rest is no longer the best
Life’s evil twins—mirror cells—could doom Earth if scientists don’t stop them
Researchers are close to making “reversed” cells that may wipe us off the planet
Your guide to 29 wildly different theories of consciousness
The many, many ways researchers hope to solve the toughest mystery in science
Math puzzle: A winning loser
Pick an unusual winning poker hand in this math puzzle
Science crossword: Consciousness carriers
Play this crossword inspired by the February 2026 issue of Scientific American
First-ever flexible tool use seen in a cow suggests livestock are smarter than believed
A pet cow named Veronika uses a tool in a surprisingly sophisticated way—possibly because she has been allowed to live her best life
New brain training study could help explain the placebo effect
Positive thinking may boost immune response from vaccines, new brain training study shows
Meet ‘Baseodiscus the Eldest,’ a record-setting ribbon worm more than 27 years old
Ribbon worms can grow to enormous lengths, and one named Baseodiscus the Eldest is showing how little we know about them—including how long they live
Spiders build giant decoys to scare predators from webs
Spiders scare off predators by seemingly supersizing themselves
