Challenging Big Oil’s Big Lie about Plastic Recycling
California’s lawsuit against Exxon is about ending the lie that most plastic is recyclable
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/challenging-big-oils-big-lie-about-plastic-recycling/
Hurricane Helene Signals the End of the ‘Climate Haven’
Experts say the effects of global warming are playing a greater role in where people decide to move
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hurricane-helene-signals-the-end-of-the-climate-haven/
Hurricane Helene Made Me a Climate Change Refugee
A climate advocate learns firsthand on the price of climate change in our lives, and calls for voters to head off future disasters
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hurricane-helene-made-me-a-climate-change-refugee/
How the 2024 Election Will Shape the Future of AI
Both U.S. presidential candidates voice support for innovation in AI, but Kamala Harris has been more outspoken about its risks to individuals
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-2024-election-will-shape-the-future-of-ai/
In Floods like Hurricane Helene’s, Toxic Chemicals Are a Silent and Growing Threat
People living near industrial facilities often have few details about the chemicals inside, which poses major risks when floods occur
Hurricane Helene Survivors Face a Second Disaster—Insurance Woes
Only 2 percent of households in parts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina that were flooded by Hurricane Helene can get insurance payments
Where Did All the Thalidomide Pills Distributed in the U.S. Go?
FDA medical examiner Frances Oldham Kelsey saved American lives by refusing to approve thalidomide. But millions of pills had been sent to doctors in the U.S. for so-called clinical trials
How to Save the World from Apocalyptic Asteroids
Sooner or later a doomsday asteroid will wipe out most life on Earth—unless, that is, we prevent threatening space rocks from hitting us in the first place
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-save-the-world-from-apocalyptic-asteroids/
Hard Nuclear Weapons Choices Await Harris or Trump as President
Whoever wins the 2024 presidential election will face heightened nuclear geopolitics, deadlines on nuclear deals with Russia and Iran and decisions on a $2-trillion weapons-modernization effort
Largest Brain Map Ever Reveals Fruit Fly’s Neurons in Exquisite Detail
Wiring diagram lays out connections between nearly 140,000 neurons and reveals new types of nerve cell
Hurricanes Helene’s Floods Swamped a Hospital, Highlighting Climate Threats to Health Care
Hurricane Helene forced dozens of medical facilities across the southern U.S. to evacuate patients, underscoring the human costs of climate change
Hurricanes Kill People for Years after the Initial Disaster
The average tropical cyclone in the U.S. ultimately causes about 7,000 to 11,000 excess deaths, new research finds
Power-Thirsty AI Turns to Mothballed Nuclear Plants. Is That Safe?
As Microsoft strikes a deal to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island to power AI, nuclear specialists weigh in on the unprecedented process
Suzetrigine Is Part of a New Class of Pain Medications That Could Offer Relief for Chronic Pain
A new class of drugs treats pain at the periphery. Here’s what that could mean for those with chronic pain.
Project 2025 Would Leave Hurricane Helene Survivors with Little Disaster Aid
The conservative Project 2025 playbook for a possible Trump presidency calls for cutting aid for disasters such as Hurricane Helene
Sports Celebrate Physical Variation—Until It Challenges Social Norms
Human anatomy is delightfully varied, but female athletes are heavily criticized for not conforming to socially accepted bodily norms
NASA Needs a ‘Lunar Marathon’ to Match China on the Moon
We are in a new and different kind of moon race, one the U.S. is losing. To win, says a former NASA official, we need new strategies
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-needs-a-lunar-marathon-to-match-china-on-the-moon/
First Observation of One-in-10-Billion Particle Decay Hints at Hidden Physics
Physicists have detected a long-sought particle process that may suggest new forces and particles exist in the universe
Why Appalachia Flooded So Severely from Helene’s Remnants
Inland flooding from tropical cyclones, even at high altitudes, is a major worry—and one that scientists don’t know enough about
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-appalachia-flooded-so-severely-from-helenes-remnants/
Evidence of ‘Negative Time’ Found in Quantum Physics Experiment
Physicists showed that photons can seem to exit a material before entering it, revealing observational evidence of negative time