scientific.america.latest.news
-
Pangaea Ultima, the Next Supercontinent, May Doom Mammals to Far-Future Extinction
by Jonathan O'Callaghan, Nature magazine on September 27, 2023 at 7:00 pm
250 million years from now, the emergence of a new supercontinent could render most of Earth’s surface uninhabitable for mammals
-
Dead Trees and a Mysterious Cosmic Explosion Reveal Bigger Quake Risk for Seattle
by Robin George Andrews on September 27, 2023 at 6:00 pm
Washington State’s Puget Sound could face previously unknown earthquake risks, according to a new study that has pinned down the date of an ancient […]
-
What Happens if You Drop Antimatter? New Gravitational Test Sees First Fall
by Stephanie Pappas on September 27, 2023 at 3:00 pm
In theory, physicists knew that antimatter should behave just like matter under gravity’s pull. But until now, no one had ever seen it happen
-
To Move Fast, Quantum Maze Solvers Must Forget the Past
by Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine on September 27, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Quantum algorithms can find their way out of mazes exponentially faster than classical ones, at the cost of forgetting the paths they took
-
The Chemistry behind Bourbon
by Michael W. Crowder, The Conversation US on September 27, 2023 at 2:00 pm
How does bourbon, “America’s spirit,” get its distinctive taste and color?
-
Hoʻoleilana, a Billion-Light-Year-Wide Bubble of Galaxies, Astounds Astronomers
by Adam Mann on September 27, 2023 at 1:30 pm
This enormous structure could help explain processes close to the dawn of time—or it could be a random cosmic fluke
-
Song of the Stars, Part 2: Seeing in the Dark
by Timmy Broderick, Jason Drakeford, Carin Leong on September 27, 2023 at 1:00 pm
In 2014, a blind astronomer “sonified” the universe’s most explosive event: a gamma-ray burst. By listening to, rather than looking at, the data, she […]
-
The Complete Human Y Chromosome Marks an Opportunity to Move Away from Stigma
by Christopher R. Donohue, Anna Rogers on September 27, 2023 at 12:30 pm
The Y chromosome was once used to label people as criminal. A new complete Y chromosome sequence just might combat this dangerous myth
-
Your Brain Looks for 'Winning Streaks' Everywhere--Here's Why
by David G. Myers on September 27, 2023 at 12:00 pm
This is why we misinterpret life’s weird and wonderful random events
-
Streetlights Are Mysteriously Turning Purple. Here's Why
by Karen Kwon on September 27, 2023 at 11:00 am
Newly purple streetlights might seem innocuous, but they could affect driver and pedestrian safety
-
The Secret to Beetles' Unfathomable Diversity
by Viviane Callier on September 27, 2023 at 10:45 am
The evolution of a chemical defense gland allowed the most diverse group of beetles to repel predators and go on to conquer wholly new environments
-
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Infections Are on the Rise in the U.S. Here's How to Stay Safe
by Bill Sullivan, The Conversation on September 26, 2023 at 9:00 pm
Here’s why the CDC is so concerned about deadly flesh-eating bacteria and ways to avoid being infected
-
Your Body Odor Could Be Used to Track Your Movements or Health
by Chantrell Frazier, Kenneth G. Furton, Vidia A. Gokool, The Conversation US on September 26, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Human scent signatures could one day be collected at places like crime scenes and COVID testing sites
-
Limiting Global Warming to 1.5 Degrees C 'Remains Possible,' Energy Experts Say
by Carlos Anchondo, E&E News on September 26, 2023 at 4:30 pm
Governments must “separate climate from geopolitics” and work together to triple renewables and deeply cut planet-warming emissions, says International […]
-
The Loss of Dark Skies Is So Painful, Astronomers Coined a New Term for It
by Paul Sutter, SPACE.com on September 26, 2023 at 4:20 pm
Astronomers have a new term to describe the pain associated with the loss of access to dark skies: noctalgia
-
Our Fragile Earth: How Close Are We to Climate Catastrophe?
by Mark Fischetti on September 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Lessons from past eras when Earth was a hothouse or a snowball tell us whether we are doomed by climate change or still have time to prevent that fate
-
Does the First Amendment Confer a 'Right to Compute'? The Future of AI May Depend on It
by John Villasenor on September 26, 2023 at 11:30 am
We need to figure out if there is a constitutional right to compute
-
Two Thirds of American Kids Can't Read Fluently
by Marion Blank on September 26, 2023 at 11:00 am
Phonics may be a popular way to teach reading, but it fails too many children
-
How Mathematical Objects Are like People and Other Mysteries of Intersection Theory
by Rachel Crowell on September 26, 2023 at 10:45 am
A Q&A with Hannah Larson, a recipient of the 2024 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize
-
Wind Energy Could Get Safer for Bats with New Research
by Minho Kim, E&E News on September 25, 2023 at 8:30 pm
Wind turbines threaten several bat species, but the Biden administration is funding research to reduce casualties
-
Song of the Stars, Part 1: Transforming Space into Symphonies
by Timmy Broderick, Jason Drakeford, Carin Leong on September 25, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Space is famously silent, but astronomers and musicians are increasingly turning astronomical data into sound as a way to make discoveries and inspire people […]
-
Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe?
by Dan Falk on September 25, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Physicists and philosophers recently met to debate a theory of consciousness called panpsychism
-
Autism, Human Connection and the 'Double Empathy' Problem
by Steve Silberman on September 25, 2023 at 11:30 am
Despite stereotypes, many autistic people yearn for meaningful relationships, but they are daunted by neurotypicals’ assumptions about them
-
Bizarre Quantum Theory Explains Why Your Coffee Takes So Long to Drip through a Narrow Filter
by Stephanie Pappas on September 25, 2023 at 11:00 am
Physicist John Cardy and his colleague just won the 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. We spoke with Cardy about conformal field theory, 2D black […]
-
If You're Pregnant, These Vaccines Could Save Your and Your Baby's Life
by Tara Haelle on September 25, 2023 at 10:45 am
The RSV vaccine is the latest in a series of immunizations that could protect pregnant people and their babies from severe disease and death