El Niño events led to crop failures in some parts of Europe and raised grain prices elsewhere Public Domain The El Niño weather phenomenon, which influences the climate and economies in regions bordering the Pacific Ocean today, also caused famines in Europe between 1500 and 1800. During El Niño periods, ocean waters in the central…
January 5, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Stunningly Hot Galaxy Cluster Puts New Spin on How These Cosmic Behemoths Evolved Scientists detected gas at least five times hotter than previous theories had predicted inside a galaxy cluster from the early universe By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron A scorchingly…
This galaxy cluster should be much, much colder than it is Lingxiao Yuan A young galaxy cluster in the early universe is defying our understanding of how these huge structures formed and evolved. The gas that fills this cluster, called SPT2349-56, is far hotter and more abundant than it should be, and researchers aren’t sure…
January 5, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Wegovy Weight-Loss Pills Are Now Available in the U.S.—Here’s What That Means The first GLP-1 pills for weight loss are hitting U.S. pharmacies. But how will they be prescribed? By Lauren J. Young edited by Claire Cameron Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images A pill…
Researchers working at Prudhoe Dome in Greenland Caleb K. Walcott-George An ice dome in northern Greenland once melted completely at temperatures the region could experience again this century, a finding that will begin to paint a more accurate picture of how fast the melting Greenland ice sheet could raise global sea levels. Researchers drilled 500…
January 5, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm U.S. Axes Number of Recommended Childhood Vaccines in Blow to Public Health The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the recommended number of vaccines for children to those that protect against 11 diseases instead of the protections against 17 illnesses that…
“On the spectrum.” These three words have become synonymous with autism, yet behind them lies a common misunderstanding. The idea of “the spectrum” suggests that all autistic people share similar experiences and behave in similar ways – only to a greater or lesser extent. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Some autistic people…
The sun’s outer atmosphere resembles a pufferfish. That’s what scientists have gleaned from the first verified maps of the shifting boundary between the sun and the rest of the solar system. “The structure is basically this kind of corrugated, spiky shape,” says heliophysicist Sam Badman. As the sun gets more active, the boundary gets larger and spikier, Badman and…
January 5, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Longest-Ever Look at Stormy Region on the Sun Offers New Clues to Space Weather Scientists observed an active region on the sun for a record 94 days, marking a “milestone in solar physics” By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron An image taken…
You might not have heard of leucovorin, but it is being championed by the US government to address rising rates of autism Hannah Beier/Reuters The US government made waves last year when it announced it would be approving the little-known drug leucovorin for children with cerebral folate deficiency, a condition that appears to be connected…
