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— Inscription on Columbus' caravels

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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 hour 19 min ago

A water treatment expert on what could actually fix the Reflecting Pool

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 6:00pm

The Trump administration wanted the surface of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to be “American flag blue.” A water-treatment expert explains why the pool is still algal green and why the bloom could keep coming back

Categories: Astronomy

Which World Cup cooling methods really protect players from extreme heat?

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 3:30pm

From booed hydration breaks to cooling-gel vests, teams are trying everything to keep their players from overheating. Physiologists—and one World Cup team doctor—say feeling cooler is different than cooling the body

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists pop the cork on the hidden chemistry inside wine bottles

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 2:00pm

A new study captures how cork, wine and air interact over time

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists discover remnants of Jellyfish Nebula’s ‘sibling’ supernova

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 9:00am

Astronomers may have found the remains of two long-dead stellar siblings

Categories: Astronomy

In world first, a man living with HIV received a lung transplant from an HIV-positive donor

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 8:00am

This operation opens the door to treating more people living with HIV who have end-stage organ disease

Categories: Astronomy

Ancient human ancestors may have first used fire 1.79 million years ago

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 7:00am

A new method that detects whether bones have been burned reveals Homo erectus brought fires into caves far earlier than previous evidence had suggested

Categories: Astronomy

JWST catches cosmic imposters spoofing faraway galaxies

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 6:45am

The James Webb Space Telescope has found nearby brown dwarfs masquerading as far-distant galaxies. The discovery reinforces how, in astronomy, what you see isn’t always what you get

Categories: Astronomy

Why some irrational numbers are more irrational than others

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 6:30am

The quest to approximate irrational numbers with fractions reveals hidden patterns, surprising hierarchies and enduring mathematical mysteries

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists are uncovering how common viruses may quietly increase cancer risk

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 6:00am

Everyday viral infections may be quietly reshaping the body’s network of molecules that support cells and tissues in ways that can raise cancer risk over time

Categories: Astronomy

Ancient worshipers gathered at a ‘prototype’ Stonehenge to celebrate the solstices, new analysis reveals

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 3:00pm

These ruins, located just five kilometers from Stonehenge, likely laid the groundwork for religious rites celebrating the longest and shortest days of the year

Categories: Astronomy

Japan’s 2011 earthquake was so powerful that it shifted the entire country’s location

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 2:04pm

This “extraordinary” event was likely caused by seismic waves bouncing off Earth’s core, researchers found

Categories: Astronomy

NASA’s Lucy mission reveals an asteroid’s hidden history

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 2:00pm

Next summer, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will start sidling up to several asteroids near Jupiter. On its way there, it has studied another space rock up close

Categories: Astronomy

Trump administration reverses course on plan to dismantle ocean monitoring network

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:50pm

The effort to pull some 900 ocean-monitoring buoys and sensors from the water drew backlash from scientists and lawmakers

Categories: Astronomy

Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s Relativity Space selected for upcoming NASA Mars orbiter mission

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:15pm

This partnership marks the latest foray into space exploration for Relativity Space, which aims to build cheap, reusable rockets

Categories: Astronomy

How to watch August’s total solar eclipse live with Scientific American

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:30am

Even if you aren’t going to be within the path of totality, you can still watch the solar eclipse as it happens with Scientific American

Categories: Astronomy

Salty clouds discovered on pink puffball planet

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:20am

A cold, cherry-blossom-hued exoplanet supports bizarre clouds chock-full of salts

Categories: Astronomy

How one new telescope is going to change astronomy forever

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 9:45am

Construction of the Deep Synoptic Array is about to start in rural Nevada. It will reveal untold galaxies in stunning detail and help explain how they form and grow

Categories: Astronomy

1 in 3 psychologists say their patients use AI as a second therapist

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 7:00am

People are increasingly turning to AI for mental health support—but its design is “antithetical” to mental health care, experts say

Categories: Astronomy

The surprising science history behind New York City’s ticker-tape parades

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 6:00am

On Thursday Knicks fans are flocking to Manhattan for a ticker-tape parade. But where did ticker tape even come from?

Categories: Astronomy

The first Atlantic tropical storm of 2026 is here—and it used to be a Pacific cyclone

Wed, 06/17/2026 - 1:04pm

Tropical Storm Arthur is the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and will bring heavy rains and potential flash flooding to the Southeast

Categories: Astronomy