Scientific American

A drawing of a human brain in blue surrounded by mathematical equations

MathematicsJune 2, 2026

Mathematicians sign declaration to rein in AI use

A group of researchers have proposed rules to prevent artificial intelligence from overpowering humans in math

Leila Sloman

A black cutout of a child’s head with multicolored strings coming out of it.

PsychedelicsJune 1, 2026

Trump's psychedelics executive order could accelerate new treatments—including for children

Adam Kovac

Patient lying in a hyperbaric chamber with technician in background

COVIDJune 1, 2026

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is being explored as a long COVID treatment. Here’s what the research shows

Clarissa Brincat

Cover of the Mysteries of the Cosmos issue of Scientific American against a purple background.

CosmologyJune 2, 2026

Questioning everything

Josh Fischman

GamesJune 2, 2026

Today’s 6x6 KenKen

KenKen Puzzle Co.

The Young American Scientists Event—Register Now

A panel in a cave in Wales 2024 (left). A D-Stretch filtered photograph of the panel in 2024 (right).

ArchaeologyJune 1, 2026

For 100 years, scientists thought these red markings were natural—now researchers say they’re ancient human art

Adam Kovac

Apples on sale for a high price at a supermarket

FoodJune 1, 2026

How the war in Iran is affecting your dinner plate

Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Andrew Scott cocks his head and smiles. He is sitting in front of an old-timey sea map and is wearing a white shirt, a dark blue cardigan and two thin gold necklaces. The word "PRESSURE" is next to him in all capital letters.

WeatherJune 1, 2026

Andrew Scott learned all about meteorology for his latest film Pressure

Andrea Thompson

Scientific American Summer Reading Challenge illustration of a sun wearing glasses reading a book.

BooksJune 1, 2026

Scientific American Summer Reading Challenge

Brianne Kane

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June 2026 Issue

A chandelier-shaped cooling system for the quantum computer IBM Quantum System Two.

Quantum Physics

Quantum computing is reaching its make-or-break moment

Adam Becker

An illustration of green computer chips and purple spheres representing quantum bits seem to fly out from a central point of light.

Quantum Computing

What’s a quantum computer good for, anyway?

Zeeya Merali

A stretch of the Via Appia showing the straight construction and stone paving associated with classic Roman roads

Archaeology

New map reveals lost roads of the Roman Empire

Tom Brughmans

An orange and red cross-hatched gradient forms a four-lobed shape over a vast coordinate plane. Along the “x-axis” at the center is a black blob, shaped like a horizontal tear-drop.

Mathematics

The million-dollar math problem hardly anyone is trying to solve

Joseph Howlett

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket launches on a fiery pillar of exhaust surrounded by billowing clouds, sending the Orion crew capsule of the space agency’s Artemis II lunar mission into orbit.

Space Exploration

NASA’s Artemis II launched on first crewed moon mission of the 21st century

Nadia Drake

A false-color view of the moon's Orientale Basin.

Planetary Science

NASA’s Artemis era may finally solve three major moon mysteries

Robin George Andrews

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Games

A robot hand reaches toward bubbles with letters in them

Spellements

Create as many words as you can!

Illustration of a hand and multiple numbers against a purple background.

Math Puzzles

Stretch your math muscles with these puzzles.

A robot hand unleashes a swirl of puzzle pieces, crosswords, and circles with numbers and letters

All Games

Science inspired games, puzzles and quizzes

Special Edition

An illustration of a galaxy.

Astronomy

The new story of the Milky Way’s surprisingly turbulent past

Ann Finkbeiner

Doark amorphous shape

Dark Matter

Dark matter might lurk in its own shadow world

Kathryn Zurek

Illustration of a woman at a desk and her dog living in a spacecraft.

Space Exploration

Why we'll never live in space

Sarah Scoles

Illustration of a black hole in a geometric-like universe

Black Holes

The puzzle of the first black holes

Priyamvada Natarajan

Illustration of a dragon-like creature coming to life out of a long roll of paper

Astrophysics

What if we never find dark matter?

Tracy R. Slatyer, Tim M. P. Tait

Conceptual image of the timeline of the cosmos

Cosmology

Astronomers’ epic quest to witness the cosmic dawn

Rebecca Boyle

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Podcasts

An image of a health worker wearing protective equipment crouching beside the coffin outside a home in the Democratic Republic of Congo

A new Ebola outbreak has killed hundreds—and the U.S. response is alarming experts

Rachel Feltman, Tanya Lewis, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

An illustration of a book cover with a hand print on a starry dark background.

BooksMay 29, 2026

What our phones, playlists and AI companions reveal about being human

Brianne Kane, Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

An illustration of a book cover with the words "Ecocivilization" against a faded yellow background

The EnvironmentMay 27, 2026

A new book debunks the myth of human selfishness—and makes the case for an ‘ecocivilization’

Rachel Feltman, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

Conceptual image of artificial intelligence being used for medical advice

Artificial IntelligenceMay 22, 2026

This researcher made up a disease to test AI. It failed miserably

Rachel Feltman, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

An image of the full moon on a starry background

Nuclear energyMay 20, 2026

Putting a nuclear reactor on the moon: big promise, bigger challenges

Rachel Feltman, Robin George Andrews, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

Discussions

Should religious thinkers help shape AI?

22View the Discussion

Do you think the Riemann Hypothesis is true? Will anyone ever prove it?

9View the Discussion

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Popular Stories

A panel in a cave in Wales 2024 (left). A D-Stretch filtered photograph of the panel in 2024 (right).

ArchaeologyJune 1, 2026

For 100 years, scientists thought these red markings were natural—now researchers say they’re ancient human art

A new analysis of red lines inside a cave in Wales suggests they were made deliberately by ancient humans some 17,000 years ago

Adam Kovac

A rocket launches in a fiery blast

SpacecraftJune 1, 2026

China launches rival rocket to SpaceX Falcon 9 for the first time

China apparently didn’t issue any airspace or maritime notices ahead of the maiden launch of this rocket on Monday

Claire Cameron

An image of a health worker wearing protective equipment crouching beside the coffin outside a home in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Public HealthJune 1, 2026

A new Ebola outbreak has killed hundreds—and the U.S. response is alarming experts

A deadly Ebola outbreak is spreading fast—and U.S. cuts to foreign aid are making it worse

Rachel Feltman, Tanya Lewis, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

A photograph of a giant spiral galaxy in deep space

The UniverseMay 29, 2026

What’s the biggest galaxy in the universe?

Deep surveys of the sky have turned up galaxies vastly larger than our own. Are there even bigger ones yet to be seen?

Phil Plait

Entrance of The National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington D.C.

Society & PolicyMay 31, 2026

Top U.S. science funder slows research grants to universities

It's not clear why the National Science Foundation may be limiting funding to certain U.S. universities

Dan Garisto, Nature magazine

3D rendering of a weight loss injection pen and a table scale

GLP-1 DrugsMay 29, 2026

New powerful GLP-1 drugs drop a lot of weight fast. How does that affect health?

New-generation GLP-1 drugs, such as retatrutide, are achieving higher rates of weight loss. How much weight is too much and too fast to lose?

Bethany Brookshire

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