Betelgeuse Will Briefly Disappear in Once-in-a-Lifetime Coincidence

For six seconds tonight, the constellation Orion will appear to lose the vibrant red star at its shoulder—and scientists are thrilled

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/betelgeuse-will-briefly-disappear-in-once-in-a-lifetime-coincidence/

73 Pre-Incan Mummies, Some with 'False Heads,' Unearthed in Peru

Burials holding mummies with false heads have been discovered from the Wari Empire in Peru

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/73-pre-incan-mummies-some-with-false-heads-unearthed-in-peru/

Tyrannosaur's Stomach Contents Have Been Found for the First Time

The fossilized stomach contents of a tyrannosaur have been found for the first time, revealing what the fearsome predator ate

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tyrannosaurs-stomach-contents-have-been-found-for-the-first-time/

FDA Approves First CRISPR Gene Editing Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease

Most people with sickle cell disease who received a new gene editing treatment saw their pain resolve for at least one year, but longer follow up is needed

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fda-approves-first-crispr-gene-editing-treatment-for-sickle-cell-disease/

AI Can Now Read Your Cat's Pain

Thanks to researchers, new AI tech is delving into feline feelings to see when cats could need medical help.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/ai-can-now-read-your-cats-pain/

Thunderstorm Damage Keeps Rising

Increasingly frequent thunderstorms caused insurers to pay $60 billion in claims in 2023

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thunderstorm-damage-keeps-rising/

How to Choose an Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree

Real or artificial? Here’s a climate scientist’s take on what makes a Christmas tree more sustainable, based on how it was made or where it grew

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-choose-an-environmentally-friendly-christmas-tree/

Bad Science and Bad Statistics in the Courtroom Convict Innocent People

Science, statistics and expert testimony are crucial in securing justice. But their dubious applications in the courtroom can send innocent people to jail

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-science-and-bad-statistics-in-the-courtroom-convict-innocent-people/

Astronomers Spy First Star-Forming Disk beyond the Milky Way

No one has ever seen a newborn star feeding on its natal disk anywhere outside our galaxy—that is, until now

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-spy-first-star-forming-disk-beyond-the-milky-way/

55 Books Scientific American Recommends in 2023

The best fiction, nonfiction, history and sci-fi books Scientific American staff read in 2023

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/55-books-scientific-american-recommends-in-2023/

The World Got Failing Grades on Climate Action. Here's How COP28 Aims to Fix That

The main negotiations at the COP28 climate meeting will aim to address how countries plan to fix shortcomings in their plans to reduce planet-warming emissions, as highlighted in the “Global Stocktake”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-world-got-failing-grades-on-climate-action-heres-how-cop28-aims-to-fix-that/

Golden Mole That Swims through Sand Rediscovered after 86 Years

The iridescent, blind De Winton’s golden mole was last seen in 1937 and later declared officially lost. But scientists have since rediscovered it by tracking its environmental DNA

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/golden-mole-that-swims-through-sand-rediscovered-after-86-years/

Hair Relaxers Will Be Safer without Formaldehyde, but It's Just a Start

Banning formaldehyde hair relaxers might help protect Black women’s health, but won’t end the racism that drives their use

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hair-relaxers-will-be-safer-without-formaldehyde-but-its-just-a-start/

How Cryptographic 'Secret Sharing' Can Keep Information Safe

One safe, five sons and betrayal: this principle shows how shared knowledge can protect secrets—without having to trust anyone

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-cryptographic-secret-sharing-can-keep-information-safe/

U.S. Drinking-Water Systems Still Haven't Defeated This Nasty Parasite

The U.S.’s largest-ever outbreak of waterborne illness—cryptosporidiosis—hit Milwaukee 30 years ago. Why are many other water systems still vulnerable to the same parasite today?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-drinking-water-systems-still-havent-defeated-this-nasty-parasite/

AI's Climate Impact Goes beyond Its Emissions

To understand how AI is contributing to climate change, look at the way it’s being used

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ais-climate-impact-goes-beyond-its-emissions/

Your Organs Might Be Aging at Different Rates

It turns out that your chronological age really is just a number. What’s more important for knowing disease risk is the biological age of each of your organs

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-organs-might-be-aging-at-different-rates/

A Small Town Waits for a Dark Matter Gold Rush

A mining town waits for economic recovery while physicists under their feet wait for answers from the universe.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/video/a-small-town-waits-for-a-dark-matter-gold-rush/

These Researchers Put Sperm Through a Kind of 'Hunger Games'

The research focused on figuring out what enables certain sperm to gain some competitive advantage over millions of others fighting for the same prize.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/these-researchers-put-sperm-through-a-kind-of-hunger-games/

In the Search for Life beyond Earth, NASA Dreams Big for a Future Space Telescope

Astronomers are moving ahead in planning NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory, a telescope designed to answer the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-the-search-for-life-beyond-earth-nasa-dreams-big-for-a-future-space-telescope/