Scientific American.com

Starlink and Astronomers Are in a Light Pollution Standoff
Satellite streaks are ruining astronomical images. Can scientists and space companies find solutions before it’s too late?
Mathematicians Question AI Performance at International Math Olympiad
AI models supposedly did well on International Math Olympiad problems, but how they got their answers reminds us why we still need people doing math
How China Made an Antarctic Station Run on Majority Clean Energy
Solar panels, wind turbines, a hydrogen energy system and lithium-ion batteries are powering China’s newest polar research station
mRNA Vaccine Tech Could Transform Medicine and Cure Diseases. RFK, Jr. Just Pulled Its Funding
Speed and flexibility have made mRNA a blockbuster technology
Proposed House Bill Would Weaken Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangering Whales, Dolphins and More
Proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act would cut down protections to whales, dolphins, polar bears and other species
MRI Accidents Explained: What Causes Deaths and Injuries in Scanners
When serious accidents happen in magnetic resonance imaging scanners, it’s usually because people ignore one very important rule
Why the EPA’s Latest Move Could Worsen the Climate Crisis
If the EPA abdicates its responsibility to address climate change, it will harm health and the planet in exchange for pandering to fossil fuel interests
How to Detect Consciousness in People, Animals and Maybe Even AI
Insights from human brains could inform how scientists search for awareness in all its possible forms
NASA Budget Cuts Could Halt Space Missions, Climate Research, Experts Warn
NASA faces historic budget cuts that could shutter missions and stall vital research, prompting a bipartisan outcry from all of the agency’s living former science chiefs.
Bird Flu Could Be Spreading through the Air on Dairy Farms, Preliminary Study Shows
Infectious bird flu virus was found in milk, on equipment, within wastewater and aerosolized in the air on California dairy farms
Vibrio pectenicida Identified as Cause of Sea Star Wasting Disease Affecting Billions
A devastating bacterium has decimated populations of sunflower sea stars, predators that play a crucial role in their environment
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in New York City Linked to Cooling Towers
Fifty-eight people have been infected—and two have died—in a New York City outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease—a severe type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium commonly associated with air-conditioning systems and cooling towers
NASA Boosts Plans for Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Spurred by competition from China and Russia, the Trump administration is pushing for nuclear power on the moon by 2030
Terracotta Is a 3,000-Year-Old Solution to Fighting Extreme Heat
Companies are adapting this humble clay-based ceramic to keep people cool—without electricity
How to Watch the Fall Bird Migration Happening Now
Birds are starting to make their way south for the winter, and you’ve got a front-row seat to the show
How Teen Mathematician Hannah Cairo Disproved a Major Conjecture in Harmonic Analysis
When she was just 17 years old, Hannah Cairo disproved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, breaking a four-decade-old mathematical assumption
Teens Are Flocking to AI Chatbots. Is this Healthy?
Kids crave approval from their peers. Chatbots offer an alternative to IRL relationships, but they can come at a price
Krasheninnikov Volcano Erupts in Russia after Nearby Magnitude 8.8 Earthquake
The Krasheninnikov volcano, located less than 150 miles away from the epicenter of Russia’s July 29 earthquake, began erupting on August 3
What if Infinity Didn’t Exist?
Can “finitism” possibly describe the real world?
The James Webb Telescope May Have Found Primordial Black Holes
JWST observations of light sources before the first galaxies should have formed are raising new questions about our galactic origins