The Trump administration has so far been silent on flu, COVID and RSV vaccine guidance for the coming season, even as these diseases kill thousands of people every year
Scientific American
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The world’s biggest dark matter search saw a particle it cannot explain
The human brain has upward of 86 billion neurons, connected by some 100 trillion synapses
Sermorelin, tesamorelin and other growth hormone peptides are being touted as antiaging elixirs, but what evidence is behind those claims?
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When fully grown, the octopuses that survive could eat up to four blue crabs per day in the Mediterranean Sea
A recent CDC analysis says that, between 2016 and 2024, the rate of high blood pressure among pregnant women rose by 73 percent
The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is headed toward a Lagrange point, a critical position in outer space where gravitational forces behave in specific ways
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Seasonal changes have more effects on your biology and behavior than you might realize
A floating island in a Canadian reservoir moved more than 30 kilometers across the water—here’s why
Experts explain why a monsoon storm turned so deadly
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A pair of new studies point to the role of early menopause and hormone treatment in cognitive decline, but more research is needed, experts say
Scientists named this oddball creature after the Demogorgon from Stranger Things
In its hunt for dark matter, the XENONnT experiment has detected the rare, feeble glow of neutrinos smacking into electrons
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In a clinical trial, people with obesity saw clear health benefits on the keto diet that they didn’t see on two other popular eating regimens
Cybersecurity experts are volunteering to keep America’s utilities safe from attacks
After a flawless launch, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on a mission to solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries
Discussions
“Much as many of us may not like the notion that wealthy collectors can buy prized fossil specimens, as Dr. Kamat points out, there is at present no legal restriction for doing so. What should happen is that UNESCO or other world organizations should regulate such deals through international consent. That is unlikely to happen quickly nor universally given present…”
— Klaus R
The proposed changes, which would have given control of science funding to appointed bureaucrats, were criticized widely by the scientific community
Play a bonus science crossword that ties into even more stories from the September 2026 issue of Scientific American.
Avalanches like the one that devastated parts of Nepal and Tibet are becoming more common thanks to climate change. Here’s where else is at risk
How many times do you have to fold a piece of paper to make a doughnut? After decades, a mathematician has determined the most efficient technique
School districts are banning AI, states are limiting educational technology in classrooms, and Meta will set new “school mode” restrictions—here’s what to know
The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will probe dark matter and dark energy, discover exoplanets and study stars
September 2026 Issue
Around 15,000 satellites currently circle Earth, but nearly two million satellites are planned to launch in coming years. This precipitous rise will bring Internet access to many who lack it but could also have dangerous consequences for astronomy, our planet's atmosphere—and the future use of Earth orbit.
Elsewhere in the issue: The Spy Telescope Hunting for Dark Matter | What Really Happened on Easter Island? | How Clean Tech Became Unstoppable
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is on a mission to probe dark energy, hunt for distant worlds and transform our view of the universe
Fossils are selling for tens of millions of dollars at auction. But why are the ancient creatures the hot new thing for the ultrarich?
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will open a whole new window on the cosmos. Here are 10 things it’s likely to show us
Our obsession with ‘maxxing’ every aspect of our lives could actually be stressing us out
Jaw-dropping patient videos and miraculous testimonials ignited a frenzy in China over a technique that aims to improve drainage from the brain in dementia patients. Now it is entering trials worldwide
In a near-total lunar eclipse, the moon turned red-orange for viewers in North America, Europe and Africa
Two robots beat Usain Bolt’s 100-meter-dash record—but likely couldn’t survive in the real world
This near-total eclipse will be visible from the Americas, Africa and Europe—here’s how to see it
The disaster has claimed hundreds of lives, and at least 1,400 people are missing
The Roman Space Telescope will spend more than a quarter of its time staring at the Milky Way’s bulge, a star-packed central region of our galaxy that may swarm with small, rocky exoplanets
The world’s oceans hit 21.10 degrees Celsius last Saturday, breaking a record set in 2024
Spirals, ellipticals, irregulars, oh my!
Even as cases of diseases such as measles rise, childhood vaccinations are declining, thanks to changes in public health policies and antivaccine sentiment, experts say
On the 20th anniversary of Pluto’s infamous demotion, Mike “Pluto Killer” Brown explains why any reversal of that decision would be driven more by nostalgia than science
Astronomers are lining up to leverage NASA’s soon-to-launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which boasts capabilities unlike any previous off-world observatory
The fast-growing private-school network is handing much of instruction over to artificial intelligence. Researchers say the science is far from settled
Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the hardest to treat and most serious forms of cancer