"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
--1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.

"Correction: It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The 'Times' regrets the error."
NY Times, July 1969.

— New York Times

Scientific American.com

Syndicate content
Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.
Updated: 1 day 3 hours ago

‘Odd’ Gulf of Mexico earthquake rattles Florida and Cuba

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 4:00pm

This earthquake may be among the biggest in the Gulf of Mexico’s history

Categories: Astronomy

The Philippines earthquake is the largest this year, but it could’ve been bigger—here’s why

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 12:24pm

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit the Philippines happened at a subduction zone. Such places are capable of producing the largest earthquakes possible

Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s astronauts will wear a Prada-designed onesie to keep cool on the moon

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 11:30am

On Sunday Axiom Space and Prada unveiled the cooling inner garment that NASA’s Artemis astronauts will wear under their space suits on the moon

Categories: Astronomy

Increase in wildfire-driven ozone pollution linked to premature deaths across the U.S.

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 10:00am

Smog from wildfires is getting worse across much of the U.S., according to a NASA-funded study

Categories: Astronomy

Why GLP-1 drugs might reduce cancer risk

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 7:00am

A new wave of research links GLP-1 drugs to reduced cancer spread and better survival, and the mechanism may go beyond just weight loss

Categories: Astronomy

World Cup begins under health watch as new AI rules spark debate and ancient Rome’s road network expands

Mon, 06/08/2026 - 6:00am

World Cup crowds spark outbreak tracking as AI tensions rise and ancient Rome’s roads get a stunning reboot

Categories: Astronomy

Can AI detect smuggled sea cucumbers?

Sun, 06/07/2026 - 7:05pm

In a new study, an AI tool identified images of seahorse, shark fin and sea cucumber samples in luggage

Categories: Astronomy

How math can help you decide what to order for dinner

Sun, 06/07/2026 - 8:00am

An experiment with 2,520 participants backs Richard Feynman’s answer to every diner’s dilemma: do I want to try something new?

Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s X-59 plane goes supersonic for the first time

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 12:50pm

This experimental plane, which reached supersonic speeds yesterday, is designed to travel faster than the speed of sound without creating bothersome sonic booms

Categories: Astronomy

How prediction markets could forecast the future of science

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 8:00am

Online prediction markets are taking bets on everything from climate change to quantum computing. But researchers question their accuracy

Categories: Astronomy

Aquanauts experience awe-inspiring ‘underview effect’

Sat, 06/06/2026 - 7:00am

Like astronauts’ “overview effect,” a dramatic feeling of awe takes hold on extended seafloor stays

Categories: Astronomy

Anthropic warns AI may soon begin recursive self-improvement

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 2:00pm

The maker of Claude wants AI labs, including itself, to prepare for a coordinated slowdown if models begin building their own successors

Categories: Astronomy

Astronauts take shelter on the International Space Station because of air leaks

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 11:45am

NASA ordered its astronauts to take refuge inside a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and to prepare for potential evacuation of the International Space Station. But the crew returned to normal operations shortly afterward

Categories: Astronomy

Report: FDA just launched a study on the abortion pill

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 10:50am

The FDA’s ongoing review of mifepristone could skip over established science, health experts warn

Categories: Astronomy

Planets aplenty may lurk around supermassive black holes

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 6:45am

Planets might exist in the least likely place you’d imagine—around the outskirts of supermassive black holes

Categories: Astronomy

How breast cancer screening can predict heart disease risk

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 6:45am

AI analysis of mammograms could provide a “bonus finding” for heart disease

Categories: Astronomy

PCOS is now PMOS: What went behind renaming the common condition

Fri, 06/05/2026 - 6:00am

A physician involved in the long push to change the name PCOS to PMOS takes us behind the scenes of this subtle yet consequential change

Categories: Astronomy

Trump invokes Defense Production Act to keep U.S. coal plants running

Thu, 06/04/2026 - 5:30pm

Coal is the most significant fossil fuel contributor to climate change

Categories: Astronomy

Remote work is making Americans lonelier and sadder, new study suggests

Thu, 06/04/2026 - 2:30pm

Remote and hybrid work can have benefits, but a study involving more than 588,000 people suggest they may take a serious mental toll

Categories: Astronomy

Bumblebees use tools to solve complex problems—despite not being trained to do so

Thu, 06/04/2026 - 2:00pm

Bumblebees appear to be capable of coming up with creative solutions to new problems to get a sugary reward—and their strategies include cheating

Categories: Astronomy