This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. Kendra Pierre-Louis: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Kendra Pierre-Louis, in for Rachel Feltman. It’s mid-November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which is great news for our taste buds. But the holiday season may…
November 19, 2025 4 min read Is Melatonin Safe? Experts Explain the Potential Risks—And the Benefits Melatonin supplements have become a ubiquitous sleep aid, but research shows that benefits are modest, and the heart health effects of long-term use are unknown By Lori Youmshajekian edited by Lauren J. Young Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images As many as…
November 19, 2025 3 min read After Last Week’s Spectacular Auroras, What’s Next for the Sun? The sun’s current 11-year activity cycle has already peaked—but extreme outbursts from our star may still be in store By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings An image taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Orbiter spacecraft shows a powerful solar…
November 19, 2025 2 min read RFK, Jr., Says Peanut Allergies May Be Tied to Aluminum in Vaccines and Pesticides. Here’s What the Science Says Strong evidence suggests that food allergies are caused by a lack of exposure to food allergens—not by exposure to toxins By Tanya Lewis edited by Claire Cameron Peter Dazeley/Getty Images…
November 19, 2025 3 min read RFK, Jr., Releases Report Attacking Medical Care for Trans Children A new report from the HHS that is critical of gender-affirming care for minors updates a similar, widely criticized report in May By Dan Vergano Supporters of transgender youth demonstrate outside Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in February. The Trump…
“Plants have neither ears nor brains, so they can’t appreciate music as we do…” Credit: Michele Cornelius/Alamy Do you play music to your plants? As a botanist obsessed with collecting houseplants, I get asked this question all the time. This New Age notion first entered popular culture back in the 1960s, complete with psychedelic “music…
November 19, 2025 4 min read Each Time AI Gets Smarter, We Change the Definition of Intelligence As AI systems exceed one benchmark after another, our standards for “humanlike intelligence” keep evolving By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Clara Moskowitz “When will AI achieve humanlike intelligence?” I recently asked a friend. “It already has,” he…
These “killer koalas”, or marsupial lions, are a highlight of the show Apple TV Back in 1999, the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs series spawned a new format: wildlife “documentaries” featuring long-extinct animals. I’m a big fan of this genre, and Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, made by BBC Studios for Apple TV, is taking it to…
November 19, 2025 2 min read Meet the Weird and Wonderful Life-forms That Can Survive in Space The moss Physcomitrium patens joins tardigrades and thale-cress as a species that has survived in space By Andrea Tamayo edited by Andrea Thompson A reddish-brown sporophyte can be seen at the top center of a leafy gametophore. This…
It’s not normal for public health to be so partisan. The current administration has slashed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) programs that protect Americans from cancer, heart disease, stroke, birth defects and workplace harms. It has derailed lifesaving programs created by President George W. Bush that protect children from malaria and prevent the…
