Emily Makowski

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

www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...

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

"Kennedy and other administration figures ... have pointed to mistrust in science..., but the survey results suggest the public trusts them even less, says Georges Benjamin, chief executive officer of the American Public Health Association."
www.scientificamerican.com/article/amer...

40 years after Challenger disaster, NASA faces safety fears on Artemis II Many of the team behind NASA’s Artemis II mission were children 40 years ago, when the space shuttle Challenger disaster reshaped spaceflight

www.scientificamerican.com/article/40-y...

Meet Veronika, the first cow known to engage in flexible, multipurpose tool use A pet cow named Veronika uses tools in a surprisingly sophisticated way—possibly because she has been allowed to live her best life

Delightful news alert: An Austrian cow named Veronika has perfected the art of using a broom to scratch her itches—a finding that challenges the conventional wisdom about the intelligence of farm animals. #CowTools are real! 🐮 🧹 🧪

Congress Proposes Strong Science Funding for 2026 Lawmakers aim to support science research despite cuts proposed by the Trump administration

Lawmakers aim to support science research despite cuts proposed by the Trump administration

U.S. Axes Number of Recommended Childhood Vaccines in Blow to Public Health The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the recommended number of vaccines for children to those that protect against 11 diseases instead of the protections against 17 illnesse...

“In a recent statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics denounced the move, stating that it will ‘sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations. This is no way to make our country healthier.’” www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

This Planet Is the Shape of a Lemon. That May Be the Least Weird Thing about It Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a bizarre-looking exoplanet that defies explanation

www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth New guidance from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel would do away with a decades-old universal birth dose recommendation for hepatitis B that helped cut infections by 99 percent in the U.S.

90% of newborns who get hep B will develop a chronic infection versus 5% of older children and adults. Delaying the vaccine to age 2 months would condemn hundreds of babies in the next year alone to eventual liver failure, cancer or early death. www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...

CDC Vaccine Panel in Disarray over Hepatitis B Vote Members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices seemed confused about a proposed recommendation for the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine

A big vote on the hepatitis B birth vaccine dose is pushed to tomorrow after CDC advisers seemed confused and caught off guard by new recommendations.

"There have been multiple arguments between ACIP members. It’s frankly embarrassing," says @angierasmussen.bsky.social. Read @sciam.bsky.social 💉

…but apparently a lot of people don’t 😬

Pantone makes a surprising choice for its 2026 color of the year We did not see that coming.

hmm, I actually really like it.
www.washingtonpost.com/home/2025/12...

Can We Image Alien Earths? This Newfound Object Could Show the Way Using direct imaging, astronomers have found a brown dwarf that could help test technology for taking snapshots of Earthlike exoplanets

www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-...

Why ‘Saving Room’ for Big Holiday Meals Can Be Bad for Gut Health Skipping meals before a big holiday feast probably isn’t the best idea for gut health, experts say. Here’s how to prevent overeating on an empty stomach—and tips for if you do

Skipping meals before a big holiday feast probably isn’t the best idea for gut health, experts say. Here’s how to prevent overeating on an empty stomach—and tips for if you do

Which Thanksgiving Pie Gives You the Biggest Sugar Rush? Scientific American asked experts which type of Thanksgiving pie spikes blood sugar the most—and how to eat healthier while still enjoying the holidays

🥧 🦃 www.scientificamerican.com/article/whic...

I’m really liking this cover. So many layers of nostalgia

On this Trans Day of Remembrance, we remember the bright and courageous trans people whose lives were stolen by hatred. Their absence is felt across our city.

We will honor them by building a New York where every trans person can live safely, fully and freely.

Lost Planet Theia that Created the Moon Came From the Inner Solar System New work pinpoints origins for the planet Theia, whose ancient collision with Earth likely produced the moon

New work pinpoints origins for the planet Theia, whose ancient collision with Earth likely produced the moon

NEW: Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and a state assemblymember, will become New York City’s next mayor, The Associated Press reports.

He will be the city’s first Muslim mayor and, at age 34, ties the record for the youngest person to hold the office. https://to.pbs.org/4ovh28q

How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex

Did you know that pi can be 4?
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

I love this article (full disclosure, I fact-checked it) and I gotta mention my favorite horror movie song, "Rocky Mountains" by Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind. 🎃 The way the melody plunges at 2:05... when I first heard it, my heart dropped out of my ribcage. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMh_... #Halloween

Why Horror Movie Music Sends a Chill Up Your Spine Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge

Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge

Spider Web Decorations Could Aid in Prey Detection, Study Finds Researchers simulated the effects that different web decorations had on vibrations, adding fresh insight to a decades-old debate about the function of these structures

Spooky web patterns known as "stabilimenta" may help spiders sense prey, a new study finds, adding fresh insight to a decades-old debate about the function of these structures

The Science of How Hurricane Melissa Became So Extreme A nearly perfect alignment of factors has enabled Hurricane Melissa to become one of the most intense Atlantic storms ever recorded

www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Why Hurricane Melissa Could Be the Worst Storm to Ever Hit Jamaica Category 5 Hurricane Melissa’s exceptional strength and slow pace could make it more destructive than Hurricane Gilbert, which hit Jamaica in 1988

www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

Nematodes use static to leap onto their hosts ⚡️ Read more: www.scientificamerican.com/article/stat...

Scientific American is #hiring a full-time copy editor/fact-checker for breaking news: springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatu...
#ScientificAmerican #sciencejournalism #copyeditor

Want to Get Away? NASA Now Offers More Than 6,000 Alien Worlds to Daydream About It’s a crowded galaxy, the latest exoplanet tally shows

The first planets outside of our solar system were discovered 33 years ago. Now more than 6,000 have been found

Behold the Gloriously Weird Spotted Ratfish. It Has Teeth on Its Forehead for Sex Researchers have finally traced the origin of the spotted ratfish’s bizarre forehead teeth, which are used for mating

You absolutely need to know about this fish that has Forehead Sex Teeth 🧪

Florida Decided There Were Too Many Children The state’s elimination of vaccine mandates is a courageous first step toward decluttering itself of any excess kids.

“Florida is the first state to take the courageous step toward decluttering itself of excess children,” @petridishes.bsky.social writes on the state’s elimination of vaccine mandates. “No price is too high to pay in this pointless war.”

Katrina Helped Revolutionize Hurricane Forecasting. Budget Cuts May Set Us Back Hurricane forecasts have made huge leaps since Katrina hit 20 years ago, but that progress is threatened by Trump administration cuts to research

I wrote about how Hurricane Katrina helped spur pretty remarkable improvements in hurricane forecasts since 20 years ago and how current and planned budget cuts by the Trump administration to research could set us back.