Scientific American.com
Meeting Developmental Milestones Early Doesn’t Always Predict Success
Developmental milestones help us understand when a child needs help, but meeting them early doesn’t necessarily predict long-term success
Nuclear Weapons at Any Price? Congress Should Say No
Costs are skyrocketing to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Instead of turning a blind eye, Congress should demand fiscal oversight and make hard decisions balancing costs with deterrence
The Internet Is Full of Deepfakes, and the Sky Is Full of Trash
Deepfake images, a delayed spaceflight, the troubles with space junk and a blast from our past for your Monday review of science news.
Doctors Must Help Patients Avoid Deadly Heat Fueled by Climate Change, CDC Urges
New CDC guidance encourages clinicians to start conversations with patients about dangerous heat
How Climate Disasters Could Destabilize Major Banks
Both climate-driven disasters and the clean energy transition pose risks for the world’s largest financial institutions
AI Therapy Bots Have Risks and Benefits and More Risks
Therapy chatbots are increasingly popular and may benefit some people, but it's dangerous to trust AI during a mental health crisis
How Do People Get Parasitic Brain Worms like the One RFK, Jr., Had?
Experts explain how certain worms can infect the brain and why they are an important global public health problem
Carrington-Level Cluster of Sunspots May Send a ‘Cannibal CME’ Hurtling Toward Earth
A giant sunspot cluster rivaling the one that caused the Carrington Event in 1859 could trigger a cannibal coronal mass ejection. But this is unlikely to cause major problems
Photograph Collection Finds ‘Tragic Beauty’ in Shorelines Marred by Climate Change
A stunning photograph collection underlines how climate change is altering the world’s coastal and lakeside environments
The Anthropology of Past Disease Outbreaks Can Help Prevent Future Ones
Three factors determine whether a society experiences disease outbreaks—and how we can fight them
Will Mexico City Run Out of Drinking Water?
More huge cities are facing Day Zero—the date water taps go dry—just as Cape Town, South Africa, did
Is Earth Safe from a Nearby Supernova?
An exploding star is a catastrophe on a cosmic scale, but here on Earth we’re safe from such astral disasters—for now
In a First, JWST Confirms an Atmosphere on a Rocky Exoplanet
Milestone observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal signs of an atmosphere on the inhospitably hot super-Earth 55 Cancri e
How Bird Flu Caught the Dairy Industry Off Guard
Understanding how avian influenza jumped into cows can help shape the path to stopping the virus’s spread
Why Did Ancient Romans Make this Baffling Metal Dodecahedron?
A mysterious 12-sided object called a dodecahedron discovered in England has archaeologists both excited and baffled
Weird Exoplanets Fill the Cosmos. Here’s How Astronomers Find Them
Alien worlds that glow like lightbulbs or harbor molten-rock rain are revealing planets’ profound cosmic diversity—and pointing the way toward finding those that truly resemble our own familiar Earth
It’s Time for a Nature Preserve—On the Moon
The far side of the moon holds the keys to the future of radio astronomy. We must maintain its pristine silence to benefit everyone
XPRIZE’s $100-Million Carbon-Removal Contest Selects Finalists
A competition to develop carbon-removal technology that is run by XPRIZE and backed by money from Elon Musk has announced 20 finalists. A winner will be announced next year
NASA’s Plans for Next-Generation Mars Helicopters Are Up in the Air
After the spectacular success of the first-ever “Marscopter,” mission planners have soaring ambitions for follow-up flying machines
Once-Hidden Hydrogen Gas Deposits Could Be a Boon for Clean Energy
Large stores of natural hydrogen have turned up in Albania, France and Mali
