Social Sciences

A starfield hangs in front of an illustration of a black cat with shining eyes illustrated by Masha Foya.

ArtsJune 16, 2026

Poem: ‘The Soliloquy of Schrödinger’s Cat’

A meditation on life and the von Neumann–Wigner interpretation of quantum mechanics

Pippa Storey

Games illustration with a green background

LanguageJune 16, 2026

Science crossword: Looking to the future

Play this crossword inspired by the July/August 2026 issue of Scientific American

Aimee Lucido

The Young American Scientists Event—Register Now

Conceptual art illustrating the state of American science. A large hand removes bricks from a Jenga-style tower supporting individuals and a microscope.

Social SciencesJune 16, 2026

U.S. science is in chaos

How did we get here?

Adam Rogers

Line drawing diagram of a woman wearing a late 1800s outfit demonstrating the invention of an umbrella supporter with the use of rods and elastic straps. Image from Scientific American archive, Vol. 35, No. 3; July 15, 1876.

HistoryJune 16, 2026

July/August 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago

Natural fission reactor uncovered; geometry of soap bubbles

Jeanna Bryner

Image of Scientific American's March 2026 cover featuring Life in the Age of AI against a blue background.

CultureJune 16, 2026

Readers respond to the March 2026 issue

Letters to the editors for the March 2026 issue of Scientific American

Aaron Shattuck

Cover of the July/August issue of Scientific American, featuring a colorful collage of people around the branding of The Young American Scientists, against an orange background.

CultureJune 16, 2026

Science’s rising stars

There are bright futures ahead for our first-ever Young American Scientist honorees

David M. Ewalt

Four book covers floating in space, including Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet, Contact and The Dispossessed

Book RecommendationsJune 12, 2026

The alien stories Scientific American editors keep coming back to

The 24 alien books the Scientific American staff love, from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Contact and beyond

Brianne Kane

Fossilized ancient human footprints in rock in Tanzania

ArchaeologyJune 4, 2026

The oldest hominin footprints ever found are at risk of destruction, researchers warn

A new investigation alleges that official organizations in Tanzania have imperiled the country's artifacts and remains at four critical human heritage sites they were supposed to protect

Claire Cameron

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

BooksJune 1, 2026

Scientific American Summer Reading Challenge

Fill your bingo card with fascinating science stories, discoveries and ideas all summer long for a chance to win prizes

Brianne Kane

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

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’

Author Jeremy Lent argues that human society runs on a flawed, exploitative worldview—and that embracing interconnectedness could enable a more sustainable future

Rachel Feltman, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura