News: Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.
This asteroid was born at the dawn of the solar system
Ryugu might have formed in the very first generation of planetary building blocks
Posted on 12 November 2026 | 12:45 pm
Metal-rich deep-sea ‘nodules’ also harbor diverse ocean life
The finding, researchers say, should factor into plans to mine the seafloor for the metal-rich nodules
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 9:30 pm
Newfound invisible object in space could be a rare supermassive neutron star
Astronomers saw something strange in a distant star system—or rather what’s strange is what they didn’t see. Solving the mystery could reveal new astrophysics
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 8:00 pm
OpenAI’s ‘shepherds’ affirm blockbuster physics result
The company’s appointed team of experts has verified and released the groundbreaking AI-generated proof, which validates bedrock assumptions of the Standard Model of particle physics
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 1:30 pm
Mountain heights across the country are about to change. Gravity is to blame
A national system that defines where things are across the country will get a complete overhaul
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 12:45 pm
El Niño will push temperatures above 1.5 degrees C. Will we ever come back down?
The astonishing strength of this El Niño could mean we surpass an important climate threshold—possibly for good
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 12:30 pm
What an exceptionally powerful El Niño could mean for hurricanes, drought and flooding
One of the strongest El Niños ever recorded is pushing the climate into uncharted territory
Posted on 11 November 2026 | 12:00 pm
Was Isaac Newton’s contribution to calculus stolen?
Newton accused Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, another mathematical giant of the time, of stealing the concept of infinitesimals. Here’s the real story
Posted on 10 November 2026 | 8:00 pm
The U.S. may be on the cusp of losing its measles elimination status
Years after being officially eliminated, measles is rampant in the U.S. Could it be back for good?
Posted on 10 November 2026 | 6:30 pm
Oil prices are so high that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are dropping
The war in Iran has put 2026 on track for a dip in annual fossil-fuel carbon emissions
Posted on 10 November 2026 | 4:45 pm
Virtual fruit fly brains can play Doom and trade bitcoin
Researchers created a new map of the fruit fly brain. Then the Internet found it
Posted on 10 November 2026 | 12:45 pm
5 things to know going into the COP31 climate meeting
Nearly 200 countries will participate in this year’s climate talks, held in Antalya, Türkiye
Posted on 10 November 2026 | 12:00 pm
Eli Lilly shows GLP-1 weight-loss pill Foundayo can dramatically improve sleep apnea
Foundayo, a daily pill, successfully reduced obstructive sleep apnea, according to clinical trial data
Posted on 9 November 2026 | 7:31 pm
The coin-flipping trick that counts the Internet
Here’s how the ubiquitous HyperLogLog algorithm works
Posted on 9 November 2026 | 4:15 pm
Bursts of ‘pink noise’ during sleep could help your brain clean itself
Triggering a flow of the brain’s cleaning fluid could lead to better sleep—and may decrease harmful waste particles
Posted on 9 November 2026 | 12:45 pm