The musical Lifeline tells the story of Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of antibiotics, as these revolutionary drugs continue to lose their efficacy
How Your Brain Detects Patterns without Conscious Thought
Neurons in certain brain areas integrate ‘what’ and ‘when’ information to discern hidden order in events happening in real time
Science-Fiction Books Scientific American’s Staff Love
Scientific American’s staff share their favorite sci-fi books, from beloved classics to overlooked gems and our modern favorites
Rare Diagnoses Change People’s Perception of Medical Risk
How experiencing an unusual health issue can alter a person’s understanding of “rare”
Will Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Be the Brightest of the Year?
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) could soon shine very bright in Earth’s skies
Breaking Down What Math Really Is with Drag Queen Kyne Santos
Mathematics communicator and drag queen Kyne Santos guides you through the ongoing debate about what math really is.
Medical Sleuthing Identified the Dangers of Thalidomide
FDA medical examiner Frances Oldham wanted data that would show that thalidomide was safe to use during pregnancy. It wasn’t
Second Health Care Worker Exposed to Person with Bird Flu Had Symptoms. Here’s What We Know and Don’t Know
Experts call for greater testing of contacts of a person who was infected with the H5N1 bird flu strain before the virus causes a wider outbreak
These Bizarre Fish Walk on Six Legs and Taste the Location of Buried Prey
A species of legged fish uses taste receptors to search for hidden prey, providing an ideal window for scientists to study the emergence of new evolutionary traits
How Polio Entered Gaza, and How the Vaccination Campaign is Going
Flawed implementation of a global eradication strategy brought poliovirus to Gaza, and wartime conditions let the infection spread