Scientific American

Abstract image of a brain

ConsciousnessJanuary 20, 2026

Why consciousness is the hardest problem in science

Will brain science deliver answers about consciousness or hit another wall?

Allison Parshall

A brown cow sits in a meadow holding a stick in her mouth

AnimalsJanuary 19, 2026

A tool-using cow is challenging what we know about farm animal intelligence

Kate Wong

a box of Beyfortus medicine, a preventive treatment for RSV

VaccinesJanuary 20, 2026

RSV is surging—antibody shots and vaccines can protect babies

Lauren J. Young

A group of men and women seated and standing for a group photograph in front of a round pink table.

EthicsJanuary 20, 2026

Why did Jeffrey Epstein cultivate famous scientists?

Dan Vergano

GamesJanuary 20, 2026

Spellements: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Emma R. Hasson

NEW YEAR SALE: SAVE 50% ON DIGITAL!

a wooden sign pointing to measles testing in a hospital parking lot

Public HealthJanuary 20, 2026

As the U.S. marks a year of measles outbreaks, is the disease back for good?

Lauren J. Young

drought ditch with light sunlight in background

WaterJanuary 20, 2026

World has entered an era of ‘global water bankruptcy,’ U.N. warns

Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Human resource intelligence business concept as a mind and face machine made of gears and cogs

OpinionJanuary 20, 2026

AI isn’t conscious—but we may be bringing it to life

Simon Duan

A digital illustration of a brain in a bell jar

ConsciousnessJanuary 20, 2026

Can a severed brain remain conscious?

Allison Parshall

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February 2026 Issue

Abstract image of a brain

Consciousness

Why consciousness is the hardest problem in science

Allison Parshall

A series of colorful hexagon data plots on a dark background

Consciousness

Your guide to 29 wildly different theories of consciousness

Allison Parshall, Jen Christiansen

Image from JWST of a massive galaxy cluster called WHL0137-08

Astronomy

When will we see the universe’s first stars?

José María Diego Rodríguez

mirror life conceptual illustration

Biology

Deadly ‘reverse’ cells can destroy us unless scientists stop them

Vaughn S. Cooper

A woman in a safety suit cleans objects in a storage facility

Culture

The hidden threat eating away at museum treasures

Elizabeth Anne Brown

Illustration of a time capsule pill growing underground within tree roots

Geology

Can a time capsule outlast geology?

Peter Brannen

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Games

A robot hand reaches toward bubbles with letters in them

Spellements

Create as many words as you can!

Illustration of a hand and multiple numbers against a purple background.

Math Puzzles

Stretch your math muscles with these puzzles.

A robot hand unleashes a swirl of puzzle pieces, crosswords, and circles with numbers and letters

All Games

Science inspired games, puzzles and quizzes

Special Edition

Photographs of 3D-printed shapes show soft cells derived from space filling polyhedra. Blue is derived from a truncated octahedron, pink is from a hexagonal prism and green is from a cube.

Mathematics

Mathematicians Discover a New Kind of Shape That’s All over Nature

Elise Cutts

Many discrete loops. Each looks like a close shape made of a continuous black line drawn in 3D space.

Mathematics

Mathematicians’ Favorite Shapes Hold the Key to Big Mathematical Mysteries

Rachel Crowell, Violet Frances

Colorful abstract illustration

Neurology

How Squishy Math Is Revealing Doughnuts in the Brain

Kelsey Houston-Edwards

Jar full of gumballs

Cognition

Babies Are Born with an Innate Number Sense

Jacob Beck, Sam Clarke

Pool balls inside a roulette and a group of people coming out of half open ball shells on the ground.

Mathematics

Citizens’ Assemblies Are Upgrading Democracy: Fair Algorithms Are Part of the Program

Ariel Procaccia

Illustration of geometric pieces.

Mathematics

Inside Mathematicians’ Search for the Mysterious ‘Einstein Tile’

Craig S. Kaplan

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Podcasts

Illustration of smoke coming out of a smoke stack

January 19, 2026

EPA’s pollution rule change worries experts, cancer survival hits milestone, and astronauts evacuate the ISS

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Andrea Thompson, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

An image of oil refinery in Venezuela near a body of water.

Climate ChangeJanuary 16, 2026

Venezuela, Oil and a Warming Planet: What’s at Stake

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

Illustration of a bottle of cooking oil placed on a wooden surface

DietJanuary 14, 2026

How Seed Oils Became Controversial—And What the Science Really Says

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

A woodpecker standing on snow.

Public HealthJanuary 12, 2026

How Woodpeckers Peck with Power, Why Flu Is Spiking, and What AI and Robots Mean for Tech’s Future

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Eric Sullivan, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura

Conceptual image of a semaglutide pill

HealthJanuary 9, 2026

Inside the Weight-Loss Drug Revolution: Promises, Pitfalls and a Pharma Arms Race

Kendra Pierre-Louis, Sushmita Pathak, Alex Sugiura

Discussions

What are some signs of smarts in the animals in your lives, and do you think animals have more intelligence than we give them credit for?

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What’s your experience with science on Wikipedia?

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Popular Stories

A brown cow sits in a meadow holding a stick in her mouth

AnimalsJanuary 19, 2026

A tool-using cow is challenging what we know about farm animal intelligence

A pet cow named Veronika uses a tool in a surprisingly sophisticated way—possibly because she has been allowed to live her best life

Kate Wong

Side view of woman in silhouette using smartphone against illuminated blue screen

Mind & BrainJanuary 16, 2026

RFK, Jr., shifts focus to questioning whether cell phones are safe. Here’s what the science says

The possible health effects of radiofrequency waves emitted by cell phones has been a subject of debate for decades

Jackie Flynn Mogensen

mirror life conceptual illustration

BiologyJanuary 20, 2026

Deadly ‘reverse’ cells can destroy us unless scientists stop them

Researchers are close to making “reversed” cells that may wipe us off the planet

Vaughn S. Cooper

Spider sewing a spiderweb

AnimalsJanuary 19, 2026

These spiders weave themselves giant doppelgängers to scare away predators

Spiders scare off predators by seemingly supersizing themselves

Gennaro Tomma

Light flash flare effect of glittering sun or star

The UniverseJanuary 16, 2026

For Stars, It’s Not Easy Being Green

Stars emit lots of green light, but our eyes don’t let us see them that way

Phil Plait

Illustration of toothpaste flowing out of a bottle of toothpaste

ChemistryAugust 1, 2019

How to Make Elephant Toothpaste

Learn how to make “elephant toothpaste” with this bubbly science project from Science Buddies

Science Buddies, Ben Finio

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