Scientific American Content: Global

A SpaceX rocket booster may be on track to hit the moon in August

Fri, 01 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

While there is no immediate danger, this crash highlights that space junk is increasingly expanding out of lower-Earth orbit

Watch NASA test its new X-59 jet designed to go faster than the speed of sound

Fri, 01 May 2026 19:48:00 +0000

This next-generation plane is made to go faster than sound without producing a full sonic boom

A third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep, new CDC report warns

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:16:00 +0000

Nearly a third of all U.S. adults are sleeping fewer than the recommended seven hours per night on average

US lawmakers vote to cut science spending—but reject Trump’s sweeping reductions

Fri, 01 May 2026 15:45:00 +0000

A draft bill would preserve NASA’s overall funding but downsize the National Science Foundation’s budget by 20 percent.

The spring migration of birds is peaking. Here’s how to watch

Fri, 01 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

The migration of birds from their southern wintering grounds to their breeding grounds in the north is in full swing

What is the Kardashev scale, and can we climb it?

Fri, 01 May 2026 10:45:00 +0000

The Kardashev scale is an interesting but flawed gauge of a civilization’s growth

What is the AI compute crunch, and why are AI tools hitting usage limits?

Fri, 01 May 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Rate limits on Claude and other tools could hint at a deeper squeeze on the chips, power and data centers needed to run advanced AI. Researcher Lennart Heim explains

Trump, ibogaine and the science behind the psychedelics boom in the U.S.

Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Tracing how psychedelics have undergone a revival in the U.S. and what the White House’s new psychedelic push means for research

‘Spectacular’ Viking coin hoard discovery is likely the largest in history

Fri, 01 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Archaeologists have uncovered around 3,000 silver coins so far—and more could come to light

At shadow climate summit on phasing out fossil fuels, scientists are center stage

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:40:00 +0000

Representatives of more than 50 nations gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia, this week at what was billed as the first global summit on phasing out fossil fuels. A panel of scientists will be advising them

Scientists just discovered what is fueling cows’ potent burps

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:31:00 +0000

The “hydrogenobody,” a newly discovered structure inside microbial cells in cows’ gut, may play a key role in methane production, a new study suggests

Trump withdraws wellness influencer and MAHA activist Casey Means as surgeon general nominee

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:10:00 +0000

On Thursday the president announced he is nominating Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor, as the nation’s top doctor

Scientists use AI to test whether life can run on only 19 amino acids

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

An engineered E. coli strain survived after one amino acid was designed out of many of its ribosomal proteins—an early test of whether life’s chemistry can be simplified

The effort to rescue ‘Timmy’ the humpback whale just took a risky turn

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Rescuers had called off the effort to save “Timmy,” a humpback whale that had stranded in the Baltic Sea last month. But now a last-ditch attempt to move the creature by barge is underway

JWST discovers ‘red monster’ galaxy that challenges astronomers’ understanding of the early universe

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Researchers are perplexed by a galaxy that seems too large and too dusty for its place in cosmic history, less than a half-billion years after the big bang

Pioneering geneticist and decoder of the human genome J. Craig Venter dies at age 79

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:20:00 +0000

Scientist and medical technology entrepreneur J. Craig Venter published the first bacterial genome ever decoded in 1995. The result heralded a new age of discovery for genetics

Should schools limit kids’ screen time? The science is murky

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Los Angeles public schools are limiting computer use in classrooms over health concerns. But experts say that approach is missing the problem

What’s faster than light? Darkness

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

A recent experiment revealed that individual dark points on a light wave can move faster than the wave itself

Measles outbreaks can end, but the danger of the disease doesn’t

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:32:00 +0000

The recent measles outbreak in South Carolina sickened nearly 1,000 people before public health officials got it under control. Vaccination can effectively prevent further spread

A giant hailstorm just killed an emu at a Missouri zoo

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:15:00 +0000

A hailstorm of these proportions is “unusual” but not unheard of in Missouri at this time of year, one expert says

What happened after the fall of Rome? Ancient genomes offer new clues

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:15:00 +0000

A genomic analysis of people buried on the border of the ancient Roman Empire show how distinct groups combined after the empire’s fall

DOJ indicts former Fauci adviser David Morens on charges related to COVID pandemic

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Former National Institutes of Health official David Morens is accused of evading record requests related to the COVID pandemic’s origins and gain-of-function research

What you eat for lunch could influence your immune system just hours later

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:01:00 +0000

Our food choices could play an important, short-term role in how our bodies respond to infections, new research suggests

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein connects physics, poetry and pop culture

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

A physicist explores how poetry, pop culture and imagination help us understand spacetime and our place in the universe

NASA chief Jared Isaacman hints at campaign to make Pluto a planet again

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

The NASA administrator’s latest remarks in support of reexamining Pluto’s status come 20 years after the orb was downgraded to a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union

City birds appear more afraid of women than men, and scientists have no idea why

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

“I fully believe our results, that urban birds react differently based on the sex of the person approaching them,” said a co-author of a study that made this finding, “but I can’t explain them right now”

Humanity may be doomed to die in nuclear war—unless we act soon, physicist David Gross says

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

After winning a Breakthrough Prize, the world’s most lucrative science award, theoretical physicist David Gross is using the moment to warn of nuclear war’s existential threat—and how we can escape it

The Simpsons reference that refutes one of history’s greatest mathematicians

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000

In one famous episode of The Simpsons, Homer finds a counterexample to Fermat’s last theorem

Fusion energy company Commonwealth applies to join a U.S. power grid—a first

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

The fusion energy start-up Commonwealth Fusion Systems aims to bring its first power plant online by the early 2030s, but daunting technical hurdles remain

Watch Astrobotic’s latest record-breaking ‘ring of fire’ rocket engine test

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:30:00 +0000

Rotating detonation rocket engines work differently than traditional rockets to maximize thrust while using less fuel—an advantage that could help spacecraft explore farther in the solar system

Polycystic ovary syndrome might affect men, too. Here’s how

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A condition that affects 10 to 15 percent of women may affect men, too. But many doctors don’t know about it

War in Iran spotlights the risk to drinking water for millions in the Persian Gulf

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Direct attacks, oil spills and the threat of nuclear waste are putting the Gulf region’s desalination plants at risk—here’s why that matters

The science behind the Adidas shoes that helped two marathoners break the two-hour mark

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:45:00 +0000

A sub-two-hour marathon has long been seen as a tantalizing benchmark for elite runners—and shoemakers have been in a race to design footwear that can help them get there

Iconic Sombrero Galaxy captured in incredible detail, revealing its enormous glowing halo

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:30:00 +0000

This galaxy, also known as Messier 104, gets its nickname from its central bulge and outer dust trail, which give it a sombrerolike appearance from our vantage point

People trust vaccine scientists as much as other researchers, poll shows

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Roughly seven in 10 people still trust vaccine researchers, a new poll finds. The number is in line with trust for other scientists

Blood filtering could help treat preeclampsia, pilot study suggests

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:12:00 +0000

Preeclampsia can be deadly in pregnancy, and aside from delivering the baby, the condition has no targeted treatment. A new study suggests blood filtering with antibodies could help

Zepbound’s and Ozempic’s greatest benefit may be their anti-inflammatory power

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000

A growing body of research suggests that GLP-1 drugs do more than control appetite and blood sugar. They could also fight inflammation

NASA Curiosity discovery, suicide hotline hope, the AI voice clone upper hand

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

What NASA’s Curiosity Rover found on Mars, how youth suicides dropped after the launch of the 988 crisis line, and what people think of AI voice clones

Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:40:00 +0000

Members of the National Science Board, which the U.S. Congress founded in 1950, were given no explanation for their termination

‘Staggering’ number of people believe unproven claims about vaccines, raw milk, and more

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Survey results suggest a rise in questioning of scientific evidence

‘Bat feast’ animal videos at African cave offer clues to how deadly viruses spread

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Researchers filmed 10 species eating or scavenging bats at a known Marburg-virus hotspot—and caught hundreds of humans visiting

Can electric air taxis carry passengers? Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 just cleared a key test

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

A British start-up recently pulled off a key maneuver for electric vertical flight—but certification, infrastructure and demand will decide whether air taxis fill our skies

Mollusk shells could pave the way to greener materials

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Nacre-inspired ceramics could be the basis for the next generation of energy-efficient technology

One scientist’s 10-year quest to calculate the strength of gravity

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Earth’s gravitational force, g, has been known for centuries. But the exact value of G, the universal gravitational constant, is elusive

RFK, Jr., praises ibogaine for depression treatment. Is the psychedelic a magic bullet?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:25:00 +0000

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., referred to ibogaine as the most promising treatment for PTSD and depression “that anybody’s ever seen.” Does the science hold that up?

RFK, Jr., puts psychedelics on fast track to FDA review and approval

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:50:00 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking to accelerate the review process for three companies that are studying psilocybin and an MDMA-like drug as treatments for depression and PTSD

Alien comet reveals our solar system is the oddball

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Measurements of this interstellar comet’s molecular makeup show an excess of heavy water molecules that is dramatically different from anything known to have ever formed around our sun

How darkness might save migratory birds

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:20:00 +0000

Light pollution is dangerous for birds flying over towns and cities. Here’s how you can help

New JWST images reveal cosmic question marks and buckyballs in a planetary nebula

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:15:00 +0000

New James Webb Space Telescope images could shed fresh light on how dying stars evolve over time

Amateur armed with ChatGPT ‘vibe maths’ a 60-year-old problem

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:30:00 +0000

A ChatGPT AI has proved a conjecture with a method no human had thought of. Experts believe it may have further uses