Scientific American.com

SpaceX and other companies want to put millions of satellites into space. Could orbit run out of room?

Letters to the editors for the April 2026 issue of Scientific American

The conservative think tank’s report claims that high-intensity and elite sports training has lasting effects on menstrual cycles and fertility

Here are four reasons solar energy has seen a meteoric rise in recent years

Science in meter and verse

Golden Dome’s most audacious element would require a vast constellation of weapons that does not yet exist. Defense companies are already lining up to build it

Zipline’s tethered delivery system lowers packages from the sky. Now it has to show that people want the service

Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative

A heavenly read; a 25-foot eye; a case of double personality

We are rightfully told to eat more fiber. But our depleted gut microbiomes may not benefit from superhigh levels

Play this crossword inspired by the September 2026 issue of Scientific American

For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale

Companies are making big bets on technology to solve lingering challenges in the clean-energy rollout. Here are four of the most ambitious projects

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon launch to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter

Two American companies are pursuing rival manufacturing strategies for these long-promised cells in an industry China dominates

The start-up’s grant to the Nuclear Threat Initiative will fund an international information sharing system designed to flag biosecurity threats from AI

El Niño years typically mean warmer ocean temperatures and less wind shear in some parts of the Pacific—and that means more potential for hurricanes

China plans to send container ships along Russia’s northern coast, reviving environmental concerns about the fragile polar region

Music and math often come together in ways we don’t expect

From eclipse awe to vaccine debate, earthquake recovery and coffee’s benefits