Treponema pallidum bacteria cause diseases including syphilis Science Photo Library / Alamy Traces of a bacterium related to syphilis have been found in a bone from a person who lived in the mountains of Colombia over 5000 years ago. The discovery shows that this group of corkscrew-shaped bacteria was infecting humans thousands of years earlier…
As part of the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-15 tumbled back to Earth, its disintegration was tracked by a surprising source: seismometers. Seismic networks in southern California picked up ground vibrations induced by shock waves as the spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere on April 2, 2024. Using that data, scientists were able to track the trajectory of spacecraft…
January 21, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm The forest may be glowing—at least to deer Deer antler rubs and hoof scrapes change how parts of the forest reflect short-wavelength light, perhaps leaving a glowing signal By Anirban Mukhopadhyay edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Deer signposts may be extra reflective in twilight….
Oral bacteria (blue) on human cheek cells (yellow) shown in a scanning electron micrograph STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Some people with obesity have a distinct oral microbiome signature – a discovery that could lead to a way to spot the condition early and potentially prevent it. The huge community of microbes that resides in the…
The brain’s “little brain” may hold big promise for people with language trouble. Tucked into the base of the brain, the fist-sized cerebellum is most known for its role in movement, posture and coordination. A new study maps the language system in this out-of-the-way place. These results, published January 22 in Neuron, uncover a spot…
January 22, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Scientists just calculated how many microplastics are in our atmosphere. The number is absolutely shocking A new estimate suggests land sources eject 600 quadrillion pieces of microplastic into the atmosphere every year By K. R. Callaway edited by Claire Cameron Microplastics travel by air…
A scanning electron micrograph of a section through a human placenta Science Photo Library Skin wounds heal with less scarring when thin sheets of dried human placenta are applied as dressings, according to research in mice and people. The placenta’s healing properties have been known since at least the early 1900s, when the tissue was…
January 21, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Oldest cave art ever found discovered in Indonesia Beating the previous record for the oldest known cave artwork by at least 15,000 years, a hand stencil in an Indonesian cave might shed light on when early humans migrated to Australia By K. R. Callaway…
Researchers studied how zebra finches’ eyes work Ger Bosma/Alamy A crucial part of birds’ eyes is unlike any tissue known in vertebrate animals. Their retina – the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye – sidesteps the near-universal need for oxygen by vacuuming up heaps of energy-rich sugar instead. The discovery solves a 400-year-old…
January 20, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm New JWST images reveal Helix Nebula’s knots with stunning clarity A fresh look at the Helix Nebula captures new details of the cycle of stellar life and death By Joseph Howlett edited by Lee Billings A new image of a portion of the Helix…
