Scientific American.com
The hantavirus cruise ship outbreak is a dangerous experiment
The tragic and fatal outbreak of hantavirus onboard a luxury cruise ship highlights the gaps in research and treatments for the rare and mysterious infection—including how the virus spreads among people
MAHA voters support lower health care costs above vaccine safety and limitation of pesticides, poll finds
A new KFF poll found that voters aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement consider the cost of health care as their top policy priority
Could this fungus live on Mars? Maybe it already does
An almost unkillable fungal strain isolated from NASA’s ultrasterile clean rooms hints at “critical gaps” in interplanetary quarantine
The return of the Presidential Physical Fitness Award likely won’t improve children’s health, experts say
Researchers say that President Donald Trump’s resurrection of widely maligned fitness testing in schools is “half-baked” and unlikely to move the needle on youth physical activity alone
Gas prices are spiking. So why aren’t U.S. oil companies drilling more?
As the U.S. and Iran fight for dominance in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. gas prices are continuing to rise—and production might not keep up
The brain processes overheard words under anesthesia, but it may not remember them
A study of people who underwent surgery to treat epilepsy suggests the hippocampus may process words and speech when people are under general anesthesia, even though the study participants didn’t remember them
The Trump administration is bringing back flavored vapes. Advocates and lawmakers say the risks outweigh the benefits
The president had vowed to “save vaping” on the campaign trail in 2024, but the decision is already drawing fire from antinicotine advocates and a bipartisan group of lawmakers
A 1,500-foot tsunami took scientists by surprise. Now we know why it happened
By chance a tour boat avoided a deadly tsunami set off by the retreat of Alaska's coastal glaciers. Scientists are working to spot landslides like the one that caused the massive wave to warn people in harm's way
‘Touchy-feely’ dark matter is having a moment
Models giving dark matter more complex behavior could help solve multiple cosmic mysteries
What are AI agents? Inside a real experiment where AI ran a start‑up
Journalist Evan Ratliff explores what happens when AI agents are given real autonomy to build and run a start‑up from scratch
