Scientific American talks to author John Scalzi about his tentacle-filled 20th novel, its balance of hope and cynicism—and the possibility of a Chappell Roan crossover
Animal-borne Shamonda virus infects and kills a human for the first time
The potential for a wider outbreak is low, but experts are still investigating how the disease-causing virus leaped from animals to humans in the first place
7 spooky bat facts—right in time for Halloween
Bats deserve a little more love
Why science is on the ballot in the 2026 midterm elections
From Medicare for All to research grants, science-driven issues are playing a role in the midterm elections
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory may have just discovered our solar system’s sixth dwarf planet
Located farther away from Earth than Pluto, the object was hidden in the light of the Milky Way’s stars
OpenAI just scooped human researchers on a million-dollar quantum math problem
Another bombshell result shows how artificial intelligence is fueling fierce competition at the frontiers of math and physics
How a 16th century pirate accidentally spawned a centuries-old math problem
A question posed by Sir Walter Raleigh about cannonballs inadvertently led to a puzzle that mathematicians have been trying to solve for centuries
CDC deputy director Jennifer Shuford resigns after just four months in the role
Jennifer Shuford, a well-respected infectious disease researcher, cited a desire to spend more time with her family
Dueling proofs from OpenAI and Anthropic astound scientists
The results resolve major problems in math, physics and computer science. But like other recent AI-generated “slop drops,” the releases are already controversial
Sleep and depression may be more intertwined than we thought
Depression tied to the body’s sleep cycle could be less responsive to antidepressants and cause more severe symptoms