Long, long ago a cloud of stars circled a galaxy-size black hole, safely at a distance. Then about 200 million years ago one member of the cloud bumped another, a sun-size star, and sent it toward the black hole. The black hole was a million times more massive than the sun-size star, and its gravitational…
The editors of Scientific American look to 2026 as a chance to peer into the future to see what science may be unfolding and what discoveries may lurk on the horizon. But the new year is also a chance to look back at recent turmoil and instability in federally funded scientific research, the wholesale dismissal…
December 20, 2025 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Catch the Last Meteor Shower of 2025—Right in Time for the Winter Solstice Sky watchers may be tempted out this weekend, when an underappreciated meteor shower will coincide with a new moon and the longest night of year for the Northern Hemisphere By Meghan…
Recently I looked up the earliest surviving motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene, which dates back to 1888. Four figures, two men and two women, walk around a yard with quick, jerky steps. It lasts about two seconds. I also recently watched some clips made in 2016 by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and…
December 20, 2025 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm U.S. Plan to Drop Some Childhood Vaccines to Align with Denmark Will Endanger Children, Experts Say The U.S. reportedly plans to overhaul the country’s childhood vaccine schedule. The move could set public health back decades, experts say By Lauren J. Young & Tanya Lewis…
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute talks about life’s complexities, from its evolution on Earth as a single cell to complex human behavior.
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER Lab coat voyeurscollidescatter Protons bloomone nanosecondtwo On supporting science journalism If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Lace webs sproutcharm quarkslike Cheshire cats MAXWELL’S…
By the time Maggie May, an Arkansas resident in her 30s, was admitted to a psychiatric clinic in 2024, she had been struggling for years with atypical anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that leads to severe food restriction and profound disturbances in body image. (Her name has been changed for privacy.) She had already tried…
When Czech writer Karel Čapek coined the word “robot” in his 1920 play R.U.R., he imagined tireless “artificial workers” liberating people from drudgery. The lead character dreams of destroying poverty by turning the whole of humankind into an aristocracy, an elite class of elevated beings “nourished by millions of mechanical slaves.” You won’t be surprised…
Every now and again I find myself pondering the scientific veracity of pop songs. I’m a nerd, and I like music, so sometimes those worlds collide. It can be interesting to think about, and the investigation itself can be instructive—even fun! Consider, for instance, the song “I Melt with You,” by the new wave band…
