Baltimore Bridge Collapse Will Teach Engineers to Build Safer Infrastructure
The loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo ship collision will teach engineers how to design structures better able to withstand disasters
Pregnancy Increases Biological Age, but Giving Birth Changes it Back
Carrying a baby creates some of the same epigenetic patterns on DNA seen in older people
The Tale of the Snail Slime Wrangler
Mucus is a miracle of evolution, and some researchers are trying to re-create what nature makes naturally.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/the-tale-of-the-snail-slime-wrangler/
Elizabeth and Margaretta Morris, the Forgotten Sisters Who Transformed Early American Science
The Morris sisters made significant contributions to botany and entomology, but their stories were erased from the history of early American science, both accidentally and by design.
Song Lyrics Really Are Getting Simpler and More Repetitive, Study Finds
An assessment of hundreds of thousands of songs confirms that choruses and hooks have taken over—but simpler isn’t necessarily worse
What Google’s New AI Fruit Fly Can Teach Us about Real Behavior
To learn how to move, groom itself and flap its wings, a fruit fly AI devoured hours of video of real insects
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/google-AI-fruit-fly/
First-Ever Magnetic Map of Milky Way's Black Hole Reveals a Mystery
Polarized light from Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's supermassive black hole, shows swirling magnetic fields that may hint at the presence of an unseen jet
'Uncertain,' a New Podcast Series on the Joys of Not Knowing
Does the word "uncertainty" make you nervous? Would you say it kinda describes the state of the world these days? Enter Uncertain, a new limited podcast series from Scientific American, that will change the way you think about that word.
How Animal Brains Tell Friends from Strangers
A small section of the mouse brain’s hippocampus uses specific neural codes to denote social familiarity and identity
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-animal-brains-tell-friends-from-strangers/
Mucus Saves Your Life Every Day
The slimy substance is so powerful that doctors once made hog stomach mucus milkshakes to treat ulcers.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/mucus-saves-your-life-every-day/
Orca Groups with Radically Different Cultures Are Actually Separate Species
“Resident” and “transient” killer whales, or orcas, have unique hunting habits and genetics, proving they are in fact separate species
7 Books SciAm Recommends So Far in 2024
Here are seven fiction and nonfiction books we recommend from the past few months. They involve broken hearts, killer robots and epic failed experiments
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/7-books-sciam-recommends-so-far-in-2024/
How a Rare Islamic Astrolabe Helped Muslims, Jews and Christians Tell Time and Read Horoscopes
A rare Islamic astrolabe discovered in Verona, Italy, reveals how science was exchanged between religions
Why Some Songs Makes Everyone Want to Dance
A syncopated rhythm may prompt our brain to find the beat
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-some-songs-makes-everyone-want-to-dance/
Attacks on Diversity in Higher Education Threaten Democracy
The forced resignation of Harvard’s president provides a peek at the blueprint for the war against justice in the U.S., concludes a long-time observer of attacks on academia
Wild Birds Gesture ‘After You’ to Insist Their Mate Go First
Like humans, these small Japanese birds communicate abstract concepts with gestures
Wood Ink For 3D Printers Can Turn Old Scrap into New Parts
A 3D-printing ink developed from wood waste recombines its natural components back into wooden products
Bizarre ‘Hot Jupiter’ Planets Keep Surprising Astronomers
Astronomers now have three possible theories to explain how weird hot Jupiter exoplanets form
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bizarre-hot-jupiter-planets-keep-surprising-astronomers/
Company Accused of Greenhouse Gas Smuggling Hit with Record Fine
A penalty leveled against a company accused of smuggling greenhouse gases is part of the EPA’s crackdown on the planet-warming hydrofluorocarbons used in refrigeration and air-conditioning
The Future of Driving in the U.S. Is Electric—Sort Of
The EPA’s final rule on car emissions will result in far fewer battery-powered electric vehicles than what the agency envisioned last year
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-future-of-driving-in-the-u-s-is-electric-sort-of/