Scientific American

Researcher Deidre Vercoe checks on the first kākāpō chick of the 2026 breeding season. Learn more about why scientists hope the birds will enjoy a baby boom this year: www.scientificamerican.com/article/kaka...

Notorious asteroid 2024 YR4 won't crash into the moon after all Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-size asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either

Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-size asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either

Why replacing Anthropic at the Pentagon could take months Swapping out one AI model on a classified network for another takes minutes. Retraining the people who’ve learned to rely on it will take much longer

Swapping out one AI model on a classified network for another takes minutes. Retraining the people who’ve learned to rely on it will take much longer

Author @michaelpollan.bsky.social has spent decades exploring what it means to be human. In his new book A World Appears, he takes on one of the biggest questions in science and philosophy: what consciousness is—or isn’t. Hear more: www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...

NASA changed an asteroid’s orbital path around the sun, a first for humankind Smashing a spacecraft into a binary asteroid system has managed to alter its path around the sun, a new analysis reveals

Smashing a spacecraft into a binary asteroid system has managed to alter its path around the sun, a new analysis reveals

The reason the Middle East has so much oil is the same reason it’s all stuck there now A continental collision trapped oil within what is today Iran. The same collision explains why that oil is trapped behind the Strait of Hormuz now

A continental collision trapped oil within what is today Iran. The same collision explains why that oil is trapped behind the Strait of Hormuz now

NASA must delay deorbiting the ISS, U.S. lawmakers say U.S. lawmakers are moving to delay the International Space Station’s retirement, giving more time for commercial replacements to be built

U.S. lawmakers are moving to delay the International Space Station’s retirement, giving more time for commercial replacements to be built

The reason the Middle East has so much oil is the same reason it’s all stuck there now A continental collision trapped oil within what is today Iran. The same collision explains why that oil is trapped behind the Strait of Hormuz now

Fascinating new piece by @sipappas.bsky.social looking at the geology behind the geopolitics:

🧪

Stand Up for Science plans second rally on March 7 Public health chaos and research funding cuts are inspiring nationwide pro-science protests against the Trump administration

Public health chaos and research funding cuts are inspiring nationwide pro-science protests against the Trump administration

Mumps is back, but vaccines can prevent it Maryland is one of several states that are reporting cases of the infectious disease mumps, suggesting the return of diseases—like measles—that vaccines protect against

Maryland is one of several states that are reporting cases of the infectious disease mumps, suggesting the return of diseases—like measles—that vaccines protect against

Ding-dong! The Dutch Fish Doorbell needs you to help migrating fish A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell

A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell

Michael Pollan probes the mystery of consciousness in new book Michael Pollan dives into the scientific and philosophical puzzles of consciousness, from brain biology to AI and beyond

Today on the pod, Michael Pollan dives into the scientific and philosophical puzzles of consciousness, from brain biology to AI and beyond

Notorious asteroid 2024 YR4 won't crash into the moon after all Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-size asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either

NEW: Sad news for those wanting the Moon to be hit by a sizeable asteroid: it ain’t happening, at least not in 2032.

But at least we now that JWST is a surprisingly good asset for tracking dangerous space rocks! :)

Me @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/noto...

Don’t let mega-constellation-building billionaires steal your night sky Satellites are wonders of modern technology that have improved all of our lives. But having more than a million of them in orbit could destroy our view of the heavens and seriously damage our planet

Elon Musk has already started plans to launch a million satellites.

Yes. A MILLION.

This is a colossally bad idea, and it's not too late to make your voice heard. I explain everything:

www.scientificamerican.com/article/ramp...

🔭 🧪

People who know more about AI art find it less ethical When people understand the system and process behind AI art, its moral implications become harder to accept

When people understand the system and process behind AI art, its moral implications become harder to accept

Don’t let mega-constellation-building billionaires steal your night sky Satellites are wonders of modern technology that have improved all of our lives. But having more than a million of them in orbit could destroy our view of the heavens and seriously damage our planet

Satellites are wonders of modern technology that have improved all of our lives. But having more than a million of them in orbit could destroy our view of the heavens and seriously damage our planet

Notorious asteroid 2024 YR4 won't crash into the moon after all Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-size asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either

Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-size asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either

Tylenol orders in pregnant people plummeted after Trump falsely linked the medicine to autism An analysis found that, following Trump’s claim that acetaminophen was linked to autism, orders for the drug for pregnant patients in emergency rooms dropped, while the number of children prescribed a...

An analysis found that, following Trump’s claim that acetaminophen was linked to autism, orders for the drug for pregnant patients in emergency rooms dropped, while the number of children prescribed an unproven autism treatment increased

Michael Pollan probes the mystery of consciousness in new book Michael Pollan dives into the scientific and philosophical puzzles of consciousness, from brain biology to AI and beyond

Are you conscious? Are you...sure? I asked Michael Pollan, author of WHEN THE WORLD APPEARS, how he knew if I was conscious and when we'll know if AI is conscious.

Check out our conversation here 🧠

www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...

Measles outbreak erupts in one of U.S.’s largest ICE detention centers Camp East Montana, one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the U.S., has reported 14 confirmed measles infections, triggering the El Paso center to close to visitors

Camp East Montana, one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the U.S., has reported 14 confirmed measles infections, triggering the El Paso center to close to visitors

Myburgh, Jan & Huchzermeyer, Fritz & Soley, John & Booyse, Dirk & Groenewald, Herman & Bekker, Lasya & Guillette,Louis.(2012).Technique for the collection of clear urine from the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus).Journal of the South African Veterinary Association.83.E1-E6.10.4102/jsava.v83i1.8.

🎤: Emma Gometz
📝: Taylor Mitchell Brown
🎞️: Marta Hill
📸: Getty Images

Verrastro, Laura. (2004). Sexual dimorphism in Liolaemus occipitalis (Iguania, Tropiduridae). Iheringia. Série Zoologia. 94. 45-48. 10.1590/S0073-47212004000100007.

Researchers found fossil evidence of a cloacal vent, the slit that most vertebrates use to excrete, have sex and lay eggs, which could shed light on the evolution of the orifice. spklr.io/6047E8qwb

Americans trust federal scientists more than RFK, Jr., poll suggests When it comes to health advice, more people trust the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association than they do federal health agencies, according to a new poll

When it comes to health advice, more people trust the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association than they do federal health agencies, according to a new poll

Blast off! Martian microbes might travel between worlds on asteroid-impact debris New insights into a tiny, tough microbe have huge implications for the search for life beyond Earth

New insights into a tiny, tough microbe have huge implications for the search for life beyond Earth

Koalas show how species can bounce back from genetic dead ends Scientists have discovered a potential path out of devastating genetic bottlenecks that could help these Australian animals, as well as many other vulnerable and endangered species

Scientists have discovered a potential path out of devastating genetic bottlenecks that could help these Australian animals, as well as many other vulnerable and endangered species

Blast off! Martian microbes might travel between worlds on asteroid-impact debris New insights into a tiny, tough microbe have huge implications for the search for life beyond Earth

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Could ‘Conan the Bacterium’ conquer the solar system? According to a wild new study, the extremophile D. radiodurans can survive shocks and stresses similar to an asteroid impact, bolstering the case for lithopanspermia. 🧪

www.scientificamerican.com/article/life...

See Death Valley covered in an ethereal blanket of wildflowers This year’s Death Valley flower bloom is the greatest since 2016, according to the U.S. National Park Service. See it for yourself

This year’s Death Valley flower bloom is the greatest since 2016, according to the U.S. National Park Service. See it for yourself

IBM scientists unveil the first ever “half-Möbius” molecule, with the help of quantum computing A team at IBM Research has assembled a strange new ring-shaped molecule that bends around like a more complicated Möbius strip

A team at IBM Research has assembled a strange new ring-shaped molecule that bends around like a more complicated Möbius strip

Heart attacks are killing more young people—and more women A new study finds that heart attack deaths in U.S. hospitals are rising in people aged 54 and below, signaling a shift in cardiovascular issues in younger ages

A new study finds that heart attack deaths in U.S. hospitals are rising in people aged 54 and below, signaling a shift in cardiovascular issues in younger ages