One year ago this week, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm vaccine opponent, environmental lawyer and politician Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as head of the $1.7 trillion U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The vote was split 52 to 48 on party lines, with the one Republican “no” vote coming from Senator Mitch McConnell…
Illustration of CAR T-cell therapy (green) attacking a cancer cell (pink) NEMES LASZLO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Genetically engineered immune cells known as CAR-T cells might be able to slow the progress of the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by killing off rogue immune cells in the brain. “It’s not a way to cure the disease,”…
Solve the crossword from our March 2026 issue, in which we work on our code-switching.
February 13, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Forget roses—name a roach after your valentine instead The Bronx Zoo is celebrating 15 years of its extremely popular Valentine’s Day “Name a Roach” program By Emma Gometz edited by Andrea Thompson Two of the Bronx Zoo’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)…
Doing something out of the ordinary with your partner can expand your sense of self and bring you closer Shutterstock/Mauricio Graiki Think back to the great loves of your life, and you may remember a heady period when every day seemed to glitter with new possibilities. It was as if you had been reborn and…
February 12, 2026 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm ‘Inside-out’ planetary system perplexes astronomers Four worlds around a small, dim star are challenging theories of planet formation By Jacek Krywko edited by Lee Billings An artist’s impression of the four known planets around the star LHS 1903. The sizes and orbits of the…
It is easy to be defeatist about the fate of our planet. There is an ongoing climate crisis, extinctions are in overdrive, forests are disappearing, water cycles are collapsing and pollution is choking cities and creating dead zones in the oceans. And there is also US President Donald Trump, who thinks the science behind climate…
February 12, 2026 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm What repealing the ‘endangerment finding’ means for public health The EPA has scrapped a rule stating that climate change harms human health. Here’s what that could mean By Andrea Thompson edited by Claire Cameron The Trump administration’s decision to scrap the “endangerment finding” on…
Your limits when exercising really could be all in your head Cavan Images/Alamy Researchers have identified neurons in mice that help build endurance after running. They suspect that similar cells exist in people, which could be targeted with drugs or other therapies to amplify the effects of exercise. We have known for decades that the…
February 12, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm ‘Smart Underwear’ could help unlock secrets of human flatulence An intrepid team of scientists has created “Smart Underwear” to measure human flatulence in a bid to better understand our farts By Claire Cameron edited by Tanya Lewis busra İspir/Getty Images Whether you’re breaking wind,…
