Inside the $1.5-Trillion Nuclear Weapons Program You've Never Heard Of
A road trip through the communities shouldering the U.S.’s nuclear missile revival
Just One U.S. Reservation Hosts Nuclear Weapons. This Is The Story of How That Came to Be
15 nuclear missiles deployed in underground concrete silos across the Fort Berthold reservation in North Dakota. It took displacement and flood to get them there.
This Fall Is Full of Acorns--Thanks to a 'Mast' Year
Trees can outsmart animals such as squirrels and birds by synchronizing their seed production
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-fall-is-full-of-acorns-thanks-to-a-mast-year/
Leonid and Geminid Meteor Showers Bring Bonanza before Year's End
Two unusual annual meteor showers come at the end of the year, and each can spark astonishing celestial fireworks
U.K. Becomes First Country to Approve a CRISPR Disease Treatment
A newly approved CRISPR therapy could transform the treatment of sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia—but the technology is expensive
What the U.S.-China Agreement Means for Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The two nations announced limited steps to address climate change. But even a modest agreement could have far-reaching effects
Climate Change is Disrupting Animals' Brains. Here's How
Shifting temperatures disrupt the cues animals rely on to navigate their environment
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-change-is-disrupting-animals-brains-heres-how/
Mapping the 'Unknome' May Reveal Critical Genes Scientists Have Ignored
Geneticists don’t know what most human genes do. A new research tool may help
Behind the Scenes at a U.S. Factory Building New Nuclear Bombs
The U.S. is ramping up construction of new “plutonium pits” for nuclear weapons
Robotics 'Revives' a Long-Extinct Starfish Ancestor
Engineers and paleontologists teamed up to reconstruct an ancestor of starfish from the Paleozoic era and figure out how it moved
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/robotics-revives-a-long-extinct-starfish-ancestor/
Simple Formula Makes Prime Numbers Easy, but a Million-Dollar Mystery Remains
A generator equation can spit out many prime numbers, but it leaves important mathematical questions unanswered
How Does Your Brain Remember and Retrieve Words?
Here's a look at how the brain uses its mental dictionary to remember and retrieve language
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-your-brain-remember-and-retrieve-words/
U.S. and China Reach New Climate Agreement
China and the U.S. agreed to new greenhouse gas reduction commitments ahead of upcoming climate talks, but the relationship between the world’s top two emitters remains “challenging”
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-and-china-reach-new-climate-agreement/
The Worst Wildfires Are Started by People. Here's How
From stray bullets to power companies, humans spark almost all of California’s wildfires
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-worst-wildfires-are-started-by-people-heres-how/
The Ivy League Gets Attention, but Public Universities Are Far More Important
Media attention to Ivy League schools distracts from the much more important—and undersupported—public university system
Who Would Take the Brunt of an Attack on U.S. Nuclear Missile Silos?
These fallout maps show the toll of a potential nuclear attack on missile silos in the U.S. heartland
To Treat Overdose Patients Now, Hospitals Must Test for More Kinds of Drugs
Most hospitals typically test people for drugs that drove overdoses 15 to 20 years ago. We need a national system for expanded testing to help patients get the treatment they need today
Will It or Won't It? Iceland's Volcano Threatens Eruption
An enormous magma intrusion under Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula is causing earthquake swarms and forcing evacuations
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-it-or-wont-it-icelands-volcano-threatens-eruption/
Climate Changes Threatens Every Facet of U.S. Society, Federal Report Warns
The new U.S. National Climate Assessment details how climate change will alter nearly every aspect of American life—and how the U.S. can help avoid “potentially catastrophic outcomes”
Why the Life Expectancy Gap between Men and Women Is Growing
Women are outliving men by nearly six years—and COVID and drug overdoses are a major cause, according to a new report