X and Y chromosomes can compete against each other to skew sex ratios in their favour KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY You probably know of a family where the children are almost all boys, or all girls. In most cases, it is just due to chance, but an analysis of a family in Utah going back…
Humans might show commitment with a ring, penguins offer prospective mates rocks and some beetles gift a ball of dung. Wood-feeding cockroaches show commitment with a nibble of cannibalism — and then a lot of aggression. After a ritual in which mating roaches gnaw off each other’s wings, the pair violently reject all other potential…
March 3, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Fecal transplants from old mice boost fertility in younger ones These results are preliminary, but they could eventually improve ovarian health and fertility in women, researchers say By Claire Cameron edited by Clara Moskowitz Alissa Eckert/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images Fecal transplants from…
Detail of a QuEra quantum computer based on extremely cold atoms QuEra Algorithms called phantom codes could help quantum computers run complex programs without errors, overcoming a big hurdle for making the technology more broadly useful. Early on, some physicists doubted that quantum computers would ever be useful because they expected these devices to be…
MRI scans of over 600 Finnish adults found that nearly all had frayed, torn or otherwise abnormal rotator cuffs — yet most had no symptoms.
March 3, 2026 1 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Stunning photos reveal the ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse Don’t worry if you missed Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse. These images show the celestial marvel from around the world By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron The “blood moon” lunar eclipse on March 3,…
Anthropologist Paula Sheppard argues we need a more nuanced view about falling birthrates Ryan Wills The fall is astonishing. At its height, the global fertility rate hit 5.3 births per woman in 1963, but it has been in near-constant decline ever since. Sixty years on, it is now only around 2.2. In many countries, it…
When solving a puzzle, the answer could lie in your dreams. In a study of lucid dreamers, playing soundtracks linked with unsolved puzzles helped the sleepers solve the problems the next day, researchers report February 5 in Neuroscience of Consciousness. Stories of brilliant insights after a nap or daydream abound, but scientists have struggled to…
A common element found in table salt may hold the key to powering China’s next wave of electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Cars featuring a sodium-ion battery, an emerging technology, are slated to go on sale in the country in mid-2026, according to the battery’s maker, the Ningde, China–based company Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), and the…
Michael Pollan sets out to explore the mysteries of consciousness in his new book, A World Appears ADDICTIVE STOCK CREATIVES / Alam What is consciousness? It is one of the most perplexing questions in science. You would expect our intimacy with it to give us a leg up in understanding how it works, but this…
