Scientific American.com
Mathematicians still don’t know the fastest way to multiply numbers
A 23-year-old student overturned an ancient conjecture about one of math’s simplest operations
Scientists catch bacteria sharing proteins to survive antibiotics
Bacteria send protein packages to dormant neighbors to endure antibiotic attack
Deadly meat allergies from tick bites are on the rise. Should you be worried?
Alpha-gal syndrome is increasing across the U.S., driven by lone star ticks
Is it a problem for cats to eat insects? Researchers are probing feline diets to find out
The sheer amount of insects that free-range cats consume might surprise you
How a 1,900-year-old latrine helps explain why Roman concrete lasts
An ancient sample shows calcite threading through this material’s cracks and pores, offering possible lessons for making modern concrete last longer
Wimbledon 2026 opened with a 148 mph serve—here’s how tennis players' brains track such fast balls
Tennis players can return high-speed balls using a combination of reaction and predicting the future
China’s Long March 10B rocket successfully launches—and lands—in a global spaceflight milestone
The inaugural launch and first-stage booster recovery of China’s Long March 10B rocket intensifies the nation’s spaceflight rivalry with the U.S.
Odds of a Super El Niño are rising, and that could have deadly consequences
This climate system is tied to more powerful typhoons, as well as famine and wildfires
How could loosened radiation exposure rules affect public health?
A proposed rule change could expose more Americans to higher doses of radiation from nuclear facilities
Why the controversy over de-extinction risks missing the point
Efforts to revive the thylacine and woolly mammoth are forcing conservationists to face a long-overdue debate over what kind of natural world we want to build
Is Earth the only planet with total solar eclipses?
Other planets have moons, too. Do they get eclipses like we do?
‘Dark’ comets sprouting tails could help solve interstellar mysteries
A strange class of comet could explain the enigmatic behavior of ‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object—and even shed light on how Earth became habitable
Physicist says splashy new cosmology study made ‘elemental’ mistake
A recent study in the journal Nature carries cosmos-quaking implications for our understanding of the universe—except a new preprint says that it’s wrong
These absurdly cute mice live at higher altitudes than any other mammal—here’s how they do it
Living at altitudes with less than half the oxygen at sea level, these mice have adapted to their environment in unique ways
Cases of explosive diarrhea-causing cyclosporiasis are rising fast in the U.S.
Cyclosporiasis case numbers have skyrocketed from several dozen nationwide in June to now more than 1,000 in the state of Michigan alone
Early bird, night owl or something else? Five patterns may define how we sleep
New research identifies five distinct sleep subtypes, revealing links between brain patterns, behavior and health
Scientists get clearest view yet of a spreading seafloor
A rare eruption in the Indian Ocean let researchers capture one of the clearest views yet of a seafloor spreading event
Can we geoengineer ourselves out of an El Niño year?
A controversial geoengineering proposal suggests that brightening clouds off South America could weaken a burgeoning El Niño, but major technical and ethical questions remain
RFK, Jr. is turning his attention to the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent group that offers guidance on what health screenings and medications health insurance should cover
Why ‘Neil the seal’ is unleashing chaos in Tasmania
This one-ton elephant seal has gone viral for smashing into cars and infrastructure, but biologists have a more poignant explanation for his behavior
