New Insights from AI, Strange Metals and Parents of LGBTQ Kids
AI has deciphered ancient texts, learned new math and provided new ideas about human consciousness
Stories by Laura Helmuth
Laura Helmuth is editor in chief of Scientific American. She previously worked as an editor for the Washington Post, National Geographic, Slate, Smithsonian and Science. She is a former president of the National Association of Science Writers. She is currently a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's standing committee on advancing science communication and an advisory board member for SciLine, Spectrum, and 500 Women Scientists. She has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley. She recently won a Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education.
A Solar Eclipse, Cancer Treatments and Robots with AI
New research reveals the origins of stars, sleep-based treatments and the planet’s limits
A Quantum Clock That Is Ticking Down, the Turbulent Milky Way and Dinosaur Lives
Why did matter outlast antimatter? And clumps of cells can learn and remember
Vitamin D Hope and Hype, Cosmic Voids and Preventing Depression
Alaska’s rusting rivers, einstein tiles and the new science of asexuality
Dyslexia, Dark Energy and a New Arms Race
The risks of a $1.5-trillion plan to build up the U.S. nuclear arsenal
Women Who Hunt, Organ Transplants and 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act
Why scary things can be fun, how to grow materials in space, and language’s influence on the mind
Introducing Scientific American’s Redesign, Newsletter and Podcasts
Geoengineering is happening, AI wants to talk with animals, and why we aren’t going to live in space
Narcissists, Dinosaurs, Deep-Sea Mining, and More
The hottest stars, how AI learns and new vaccines for RSV
Inside the Minds of People, Parrots and Bees
Tornados are moving east, OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid sample is coming to Earth soon, and there’s fresh treasure under the seafloor
Introducing Scientific American’s New Today in Science Newsletter
Sign up for a daily dose of discovery and awe
Answering Questions about Boring Numbers, Disasters, Fusion, and More
How electrons move, multiple personalities form and hookworms spread among pet dogs
New Understandings of Witch Trials, Synthetic Morphology and the Moons of Jupiter
Physicists attempt to weigh a vacuum and resolve the “worst theoretical prediction in the history of physics”
The Best Habitats for Whales, Leopards and Office Workers
Strangely real imaginary numbers, an unsung founder of quantum physics and an endless AI conversation
Quark-Gluon Plasma, Number Sense and Long COVID
Long COVID is a neurological disease, we can learn about pregnancy from other species, and the universe may be a hologram: highlights from the March issue of Scientific American
Adorable Voles, Life as We Don’t Know It and Better Cement
Love in the brain, how dreams predict disease and better words for climate change in this month’s issue of Scientific American
How Metabolism, Heavy Elements and Quantum Entanglement Really Work
Gravitational waves, the evolution of human metabolism, theodiversity and quantum entanglement in this month’s issue of Scientific American
The Stunning First Results from JWST
A new view of the universe, moral injury, opioid addiction and inequality, and more in the December issue of Scientific American
Fun Details about the Human Side of Science
The Thwaites Ice Shelf is cracking up, humans learned to walk many times, and covert consciousness can be detected in unresponsive patients
It’s Time to Fight Light Pollution
Learn about Viking women, doughnuts in the brain, nuclear weapons, and more in the October issue of Scientific American
New Solutions to Black Holes, Snake Phobia and Forecasting Atmospheric Rivers
These fun stories show progress from the scale of quantum effects to that of snakes and from Earth to the edge of the universe
Mystery, Discovery and Surprise in the Oceans
Bizarre sea creatures, a new view of the ocean, the race to the moon, and more
Students Deserve to Learn about the Climate Emergency
Voyager spacecraft, generational trauma, momentum computing, and more in this issue
Mammals’ Perseverance, Fast Radio Bursts and Health Justice
Research shows straightforward solutions to help children learn and thrive
Birdsong, Quantum Computing, Omicron’s Mutations, and More
How science helps us see, hear and fix things we can’t easily perceive