It has been a full year since one of the worst measles outbreaks in recent U.S. history began ripping through West Texas. The highly infectious disease has continued to burn across multiple U.S. states, Mexico and Canada since Texas reported an outbreak in children in January 2025. The U.S. had been virtually free of the…
Humpback whales work together to trap fish by surrounding them with bubbles Jenn Dickie/North Coast Cetatean society An innovative feeding behaviour has spread rapidly through humpback whales in the fjords of western Canada, in a clear example of how cultural knowledge can help animal populations to survive. Bubble-net feeding is a group hunting technique in…
January 20, 2026 1 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm World has entered an era of ‘global water bankruptcy,’ U.N. warns Humans are using more water than Earth can support, with many water sources already damaged beyond repair, a report from the United Nations found By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron An…
Drought in Iran has left little water in the Latyan Dam near Tehran BAHRAM/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Earth has entered an “era of water bankruptcy” due to over-consumption and global warming, with 3 in 4 people living in countries that face water shortages, water contamination or drought. That’s the conclusion of a United…
If The Addams Family was a science fiction show, “Thing” might look something like this. Researchers have developed a robotic hand that can not only skitter about on its fingertips, it can also bend its fingers backward, connect and disconnect from a robotic arm and pick up and carry one or more objects at a…
January 20, 2026 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm RSV is surging—antibody shots and vaccines can protect babies Cases of respiratory syncytial virus are increasing, but vaccines and antibody shots can keep young children out of the hospital By Lauren J. Young edited by Tanya Lewis Nirsevimab (Beyfortus) is one of two available…
An experiment on oxygen production by deep-sea nodules The Nippon Foundation Scientists will lower instruments to the seafloor to figure out how metallic nodules are generating oxygen in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, an unexpected phenomenon that has fuelled controversy over deep-sea mining. Researchers, to their surprise, found in 2024 that the potato-sized nodules…
A soft, thick coat of snow makes a lot of the world seem to slow down or even stop — at least temporarily. The fluffy piles absorb sound and make the world quiet and still. But deep underneath, in pockets between the snow and the ground, life goes on. This is the subnivium, a tiny ecosystem all…
Last December, the U.S. Department of Justice released its first batch of files on disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Among the thousands of images was one video clip, the only one in the lot. It showed four seconds of the noted psychologist and writer Steven Pinker of Harvard University riding with Epstein…
There may be a new way to control satellites in space Mike_shots/Shutterstock It may be possible to keep space exploration missions running longer and avoid spacecraft colliding with each other using a technique that harnesses magnetic fields to move satellites. Currently, most space missions and satellites have a finite lifespan because the objects are moved…
