Laura Helmuth

Editor in Chief of Scientific American. Birder. Previously at Washington Post, National Geographic, Slate, Smithsonian & Science.

Public Key

npub1fqkeu7k5a7qm8wwuk9k0vgzetys05y28lufz0cepz7jelpz5sfzsckasz9

NIP-05 Address

laurahelmuth_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsystv70t2wlqdnh8wtzm8kypv4jg86z9rl7y38uvs30fvls32gy3g05y829

Author Public Key

npub1fqkeu7k5a7qm8wwuk9k0vgzetys05y28lufz0cepz7jelpz5sfzsckasz9

Show more details

Last Notes

2024-09-15 16:47:57

If you would like a fun little break, we are publishing jigsaw puzzles every Sunday with an image from a recent Scientific American article. The puzzle makes a satisfying, crunchy click sound when you fit pieces together https://www.scientificamerican.com/game/science-jigsaw-2024-09-15/

2024-09-15 15:24:47

Happy Confusing Fall Warblers season, everybody
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/142/258/215/094/872/original/d21a01625d409fe8.jpg

2024-09-15 14:07:28

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss figured out how to make a heptadecagon (a symmetrical 17-sided shape) & used it to solve a 2,000-year-old problem. He was 18. And he considered this his greatest achievement. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-this-great-mathematician-wanted-a-heptadecagon-on-his-tombstone/

2024-09-13 19:06:43

I mean, the moon is always super. The Sept. 17 supermoon will also have a minor eclipse! @npub1ctj…de0g sorts out the hype from the legitimage reasons to howl at the supermoon https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-a-supermoon-really-special/

2024-09-13 12:41:41

I understand not wanting to read about that creep who owns the other place, but this is a brilliant and funny explanation of Elon Musk, EVs, rocket ships, failures of regulation, and how second-arriving doofuses can succeed https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musk-owes-his-success-to-coming-in-second-place/ by @npub19hz…esu8

2024-09-12 12:57:22

"The majestic view from on high had been to die for. Thankfully, however, it didn’t come to that." This is a fun recap of the first private space walk, by a billionaire and engineer, who along with the rest of the crew did not (yet) die of the bends https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/polaris-dawn-astronauts-perform-first-private-spacewalk-in-a-stellar-success/

2024-09-11 14:56:03

The world's first nuclear clock is ticking. “It was close to midnight when we saw the first indication of the signal....Nobody could sleep after the experiment.” Fun physics with lasers pew pew pew https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-worlds-first-nuclear-clock-could-unlock-the-universes-dark-secrets/

2024-09-11 13:11:15

Kidney stones are one of the many physiological barriers to living on Mars. Human bodies are much more complicated than rocket science https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars-missions-may-be-blocked-by-kidney-stones/

2024-09-11 10:41:06

This, of course, is Trump's concept of a plan & it is very dangerous https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/project-2025-plan-for-trump-presidency-has-far-reaching-threats-to-science/

2024-09-10 14:48:09

In case you're wondering why Penzey's is in the news, @npub1q9c…vg5j has the best & funniest explanation (as usual) https://www.wonkette.com/p/oh-penzeys-what-did-you-do-now-oh

2024-09-09 20:42:38

Job opening: @npub17rv…w9lk is hiring an associate news editor to cover neuroscience research. It's a great team doing important & fascinating work for & with the research community https://simonsfoundation.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/simonsfoundationcareers/details/Associate-News-Editor_R0001667

2024-09-09 11:17:24

A lot of news stories basically say, "here's something awful you should pay attention to." It's nice to see "for now we're good" sometimes. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/atlantic-hurricane-lull-puzzles-scientists/

2024-09-06 15:25:38

Quiz time! Don't worry, it's a fun quiz & doesn't count toward your final grade & anyway you all get an A+ in science in my opinion https://www.scientificamerican.com/game/science-quiz-spacewalks-irrational-numbers-2024-09-06/

2024-09-06 14:22:00

Gossip is good, actually https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-surprising-benefits-of-gossip/

2024-09-05 13:54:54

- reply

And here's Matt's video of auroras from the International Space Station. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drop-everything-and-watch-this-stunning-video-of-northern-lights/

2024-09-05 13:52:37

Today at 10:15 a.m. Eastern, astronaut Matt Dominick, who recently captured an amazing video of auroras on Earth from the International Space Station, will be talking with Scientific American--the first ISS interview from the cupola, the beautiful room of windows https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/nasa-astronaut-matt-dominick-talks-with-scientific-american/

2024-09-04 19:16:33

Phoenix has had 100+ straight days of 100+ Fahrenheit days. Las Vegas broke records by “just about any metric you look at ... It’s been brutal.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brutal-southwest-heat-wave-will-extend-streak-of-100-days-of-100-degrees-f/

2024-09-01 22:44:41

This is a nice testimonial about what it's like to write a piece for Scientific American https://ruthpearce.net/2024/08/07/out-now-in-scientific-american-the-u-k-s-cass-review-badly-fails-trans-children/

2024-08-30 00:01:23

Steve Silberman had so much more to say. His NEUROTRIBES is one of the most important books of this century. We were honored to publish him as a columnist at Scientific American--he was so humane, generous, insightful
https://www.scientificamerican.com/author/steve-silberman/

2024-08-28 13:55:21

What are memories made of? New research identifies a pair of molecules responsible for the persistence of memory https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-scientists-finally-discover-the-glue-that-makes-memories-stick-for-a/

2024-08-28 12:12:05

We rightly complain about lousy election coverage but do you know what's great? Wonkette's election coverage. Sign up now for thorough, funny, righteous journalism plus excellent subject lines in your inbox https://www.wonkette.com/p/wake-up-babe-superseding-indictment by @npub1q9c…vg5j

2024-08-28 11:53:04

Scientific American is the oldest continuous publication in the U.S. and it's our birthday! We're 179 years old. Here's a gif showing how our logo has evolved from 1845 to today:
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/039/501/971/024/583/original/3e015b9d0b55c8f0.mp4

2024-08-27 21:14:53

This is a delightful conversation with Brian May (yes, that Brian May) about badgers, astrophysics, tuberculosis & more https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/queens-brian-may-is-a-champion-for-badgers-and-science/

2024-08-26 23:03:02

We're about to have some of the worst heat of a terribly hot summer. Adding to the misery in the Midwest is "corn sweat" -- corn & soybeans & other crops release moisture through evapotranspiration when they get hot & that adds to the humidity https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/corn-sweat-and-climate-change-bring-sweltering-weather-to-the-midwest/

2024-08-26 17:59:02

I wish we didn't have to say this, BUT: Please don't use AI to make investment decisions https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-makes-unreliable-investment-decisions/

2024-08-26 16:52:40

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore took the first crewed Boeing Starliner trip to the International Space station on June 5 for an 8-day mission. They're still there. NASA just announced they will get a ride home ... sometime next year. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-stranded-astronauts-will-fly-home-on-spacexs-dragon/

2024-08-26 13:12:57

You should be able to make an appointment now to get the new COVID booster shot. Vaccines reduce the risk of death, pregnancy complications, long COVID and more. The virus keeps evolving and immunity wanes, so get boosted as soon as you can https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fall-covid-vaccines-and-the-latest-guidance-on-tests-and-treatment/

2024-08-22 01:05:38

Kenan Thompson at the DNC is a comedian but Project 2025 deadly serious: it "would sabotage science-based policies that address climate change, the environment, abortion, health care access, technology and education." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/project-2025-plan-for-trump-presidency-has-far-reaching-threats-to-science/

2024-08-22 00:59:50

Project 2025 advocates for “a biblically based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage.” The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would become a “Department of Life” that would explicitly reject abortion and promote the heterosexual nuclear family structure as “ideal.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/project-2025-plan-for-trump-presidency-has-far-reaching-threats-to-science/

2024-08-22 00:48:51

Andy Kim reminds me of this poem by Wislawa Szymborska: After every war, someone has to clean up https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-141/the-end-and-the-beginning/

2024-08-22 00:09:32

Amanda Gorman is coming up soon on the Democratic National Convention. If you haven't seen her spoken-word poem EARTHRISE (or haven't seen it in a while) oh you are in for a treat https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/amanda-gormans-climate-poem-says-act-now-now-now/

2024-08-22 00:04:43

Has anybody read JUMPNAUTS by Hao Jingfang? There was one small detail I got a huge kick out of: in the future, the study of dark energy and dark matter is a scientific backwater because nobody could figure it out and, um, she might not be wrong https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dark-matter-hunters-may-never-find-the-universes-missing-mass/

2024-08-21 13:46:51

Remember the "Wow!" signal detected by SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence? It's still not aliens, but the intense radio burst might have been a magnetar colliding with a cloud of hydrogen gas https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-wow-signal-seti-mystery-might-at-last-be-solved/

2024-08-20 20:42:48

This is really important and I don't think it's widely enough known: kids with dyslexia, ADHD, autism or other differences can thrive when they understand how their brain works https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/neurodivergent-kids-flourish-when-theyre-taught-how-their-brains-work/

2024-08-20 12:06:44

There's a name for Trump's endless stream of lies and nonsense: the Gish Gallop. It came from creationists: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-weird-debate-strategies-come-from-creationist-tactics/ by @npub1j99…6tdx

2024-08-19 18:29:18

A doctor / public health expert recommends these 5 (plus) items to include in a home First Aid kit https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/here-are-the-five-health-and-wellness-tools-everyone-needs-now/

2024-08-19 14:53:58

Don't panic, but something is wrong with dark energy. Two new surveys and an existing data set suggest that dark energy is weakening https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dark-energy-measurements-suggest-the-universe-might-be-way-weirder-than-we/

2024-08-19 12:14:30

H5N1 bird flu has now been found in pet cats—including INDOOR-ONLY pet cats. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-flu-is-infecting-pet-cats-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

2024-08-17 19:31:20

Sunspot activity is near its peak, and you can see some of the most impressive ones with the naked eye -- as long as your naked eye is protected with eclipse glasses or using other techniques. Here's how: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-see-sunspots-with-your-own-eyes/ by @npub1ctj…de0g

2024-08-16 18:40:54

What is 1 – 1 + 1 – 1 + 1 – 1 + ...? The question puzzled some of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century and led one to claim it explained how God created the universe. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/1-the-paradox-of-1-1-1-1-1-1/

2024-08-16 18:26:22

- reply

Thanks so much! We'll fix that. I appreciate it.

2024-08-16 18:11:57

Here's this week's fun multiple-choice science quiz, starting with: Why do hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern? https://www.scientificamerican.com/game/science-quiz-2024-08-16/

2024-08-16 13:01:41

You might want to read this article about what makes people procrastinate while you put off all the other stuff you're supposed to do today
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-procrastinate-and-how-to-overcome-it/

2024-08-15 21:29:05

Tardigrades can enter a suspended state called cryptobiosis to survive extreme heat, cold, pressure or radiation. A new study of tardigrades preserved in amber suggests this ability evolved about 300 million years ago and let them survive the Permian extinction & isn't science fun?!?!?!?! https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tardigrade-fossils-reveal-when-water-bears-became-indestructible/

2024-08-15 13:00:05

In a phone call from the ISS about his amazing new video of auroras from space, astronaut Matthew Dominick told Scientific American that everybody on board "unanimously said they’ve never seen anything like it” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drop-everything-and-watch-this-stunning-video-of-northern-lights/

2024-08-14 13:54:46

I assumed the answer to the question "does coffee help people lose weight" would be "no, of course not." But apparently there is a small and reasonably established effect https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-coffee-cause-weight-loss-by-affecting-appetite-and-digestion/

2024-08-13 17:04:45

Set an alarm tonight to wake up well before dawn to see the conjunction of Mars & Jupiter, and probably some bonus Perseid meteors https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/perseid-meteor-shower-joins-stunning-mars-and-jupiter-conjunction/ by @npub1ctj…de0g

2024-08-13 12:27:19

People are using wearable smart rings to track their menstrual cycles for contraceptive purposes and oh honey be careful out there https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-smart-rings-be-used-as-birth-control/

2024-08-11 22:55:42

If you're not already reading Wonkette this election year, please do yourself a favor and start reading Wonkette. Today: the Harris-Walz campaign is operationalizing Saint Molly Ivins and the power and energy of joy <sniff> https://open.substack.com/pub/wonkette/p/kamala-harris-is-making-progressive?r=67j3k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

2024-08-11 12:09:52

"Extensive research and interviews with Olympians have also noted the risk of postcompetition mental health downturns—particularly in the months after the Games." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/for-olympic-athletes-first-come-the-games-then-come-the-post-olympics-blues/

2024-08-09 14:28:10

Pop quiz! Just for fun, not for a letter grade. We just started producing weekly science quizzes as part of a new games section at Scientific American & we're having a blast with them https://www.scientificamerican.com/game/science-quiz-2024-08-09/ and here's our games landing page: https://www.scientificamerican.com/games/

2024-08-09 13:58:29

Set an alarm for early morning of Aug. 14 to see a conjunction of Mars and Saturn ... near the peak of the Perseid meteor shower! As @npub1ctj…de0g always says: look up https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/perseid-meteor-shower-joins-stunning-mars-and-jupiter-conjunction/

2024-08-08 23:47:08

This is a fun critique of the pervasive idea that we are controlled in part by our lizard brain and its fight-or-flight impulse. "The only animal on this planet with a lizard brain is a lizard." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/simplistic-fight-or-flight-idea-undervalues-the-brains-predictive-powers/

2024-08-08 14:03:14

COVID is spreading at the Olympics. There are no testing or isolation requirements, and athletes who catch COVID can still compete https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/olympic-athletes-allowed-to-compete-while-covid-positive/

2024-08-08 12:39:15

ICYMI, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off for the International Space Station on June 5 in the first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner, for a week-long tour. They're still there. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nasas-stranded-starliner-astronauts-could-fly-home-with-spacex/

2024-08-08 00:13:14

“Google conducted a quality degradation study, which showed that it would not lose search revenue if [it] were to significantly reduce the quality of its search product"... a company that can make its product worse “without concern of losing consumers, is proof of monopoly power” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-the-google-search-monopoly-ruling-means/

2024-08-07 17:45:51

Did dinky little Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the Hobbit, evolve from another small hominid or a big hominid that shrank when it got stranded on an island? A new bone suggests the latter. This is one of the most mind-bending species in the fossil record.... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-hobbit-fossil-clarifies-origin-story-of-this-tiny-human-relative/

2024-08-07 17:17:38

Oh this is fascinating & fun: mathematicians have reinvented the wheel for higher dimensions. The gif at the end helps you visualize it https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mathematicians-reinvent-the-wheel-in-higher-dimensions-to-solve-decades-old/

2024-08-06 15:12:50

Overdose deaths are finally starting to decline https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/overdose-deaths-are-finally-starting-to-decline-heres-why/ @npub19lz…2lc2 on Scientific American explains the glimmer of good news in what has been a relentless tragedy

2024-08-05 18:58:37

Tim Minchin is on tour! https://www.timminchin.com/gigs/

2024-08-05 15:44:26

NICE. The new play "Kyoto" dramatizes the already-very-dramatic first international climate agreement, here reviewed with fun background by one of the treaty authors https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kyoto-tells-us-how-humanity-can-come-together-on-climate-change/

2024-08-05 13:35:24

We have a new games section at Scientific American, featuring jigsaws, quizzes & spellements (spell all the words you can). If you find a word that ought to be allowed but isn't, especially a science-themed word, email games<at>sciam.com to get a shout-out in the newsletter (I just did for today's) https://www.scientificamerican.com/game/spellements-2024-08-05/

2024-08-02 20:57:51

Is the Paris Olympic pool slow? Quite possibly! Here's the math, why it's such a difficult problem, what's known so far & what might be known after the games https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-paris-olympic-swimming-pool-slow-lets-dive-into-the-math/

2024-08-02 18:57:04

Four-foot-long giant clams are sparkly inside & scientists just discovered that their iridescence is part of the most efficient solar panels ever known https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/most-efficient-solar-panels-ever-have-been-found-in-giant-sparkly-clams/

2024-08-02 18:40:38

Thunderstorms in the U.S. have caused $45 billion in damages ... in just the past six months https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thunderstorms-have-caused-usd45-billion-in-damages-in-the-u-s-in-just-six/

2024-08-02 18:33:49

The built environment was not built for climate change. Here's how extreme heat is disrupting trains, planes, bridges, hospitals, water mains & more https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-extreme-heat-harms-planes-trains-water-mains-and-other-crucial/

2024-08-02 13:33:00

Oh hey! One of our authors won a gold medal and a silver at the Olympics! Kate Douglass wrote about how "digital twins" and other technologies are improving swim training and apparently they work! https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/training-with-digital-twins-could-boost-olympic-swimmer-speeds/

2024-08-01 23:03:17

This is a big fucking deal https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/evan-gershkovich-free-russia-hostage-exchange

2024-08-01 19:52:13

This is a good explanation of why natural testosterone levels should not be used to keep people from competing in sports https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hormone-levels-are-being-used-to-discriminate-against-female-athletes/ (from 2021 but holds up well)

2024-08-01 18:59:05

New and improved ways to measure how gross it is out, explained: heat index, wet bulb, dew point, and a new measure called "stickiness" https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-heat-index-dew-point-and-wet-bulb-temperature-describe-summer-weather/

2024-08-01 15:35:28

Sex-testing athletes has a long, wretched history and is based on flawed interpretations of science (plus straight-up bigotry) https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/sex-testing-in-the-olympics-and-other-elite-sports-is-based-on-flawed/

2024-08-01 12:26:53

Nice nice this is nice -- enjoy this collection of 19 sweet, hopeful, awe-inspiring science stories about animals, space, health & more https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/19-good-news-science-stories-to-savor-this-summer/

2024-07-31 21:03:28

Lots of meteorologists and other weather people love the movie Twister. This is a delightful conversation about tornadoes, pop culture, weird (good-weird) fascinations and how they start https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tornado-scientists-love-twister-and-twisters-heres-why/

2024-07-31 18:21:55

So long, NEOWISE, and thanks for all the brown dwarfs, comets & asteroids. The mission ends July 31 and the final shut-down commands go out Aug. 8. Here are highlights from its great run: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-retires-asteroid-hunting-telescope/

2024-07-18 12:47:24

Accurate language is important. Generative AI isn't hallucinating. It's bullshitting. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chatgpt-isnt-hallucinating-its-bullshitting/

2024-07-13 12:55:25

Something to think about doing this weekend: reach out to old friends you've lost touch with. It's easier than it may seem, and people really enjoy the renewed connection, even if it's just a note https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-reconnect-with-old-friends-who-have-become-strangers/

2024-07-10 12:39:16

The Supreme Court's conservative majority rejects science, history and reality itself. Editorial from Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-supreme-courts-contempt-for-facts-is-a-betrayal-of-justice/

2024-06-21 20:23:47

Great Nicobar Island is home to the Shompen, a barely-contacted group of 200-400 hunter-gatherers, and the Great Nicobarese, Indigenous people who were almost wiped out by the 2004 tsunami. India intends to build a massive free-trade-zone shipping port that could devastate both populations https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/remote-island-of-great-nicobar-threatened-by-container-terminal/

2024-06-21 18:11:16

It's gross out. This weekend would be a good time to stay in & enjoy magazines & podcasts & interesting news & oh look we're having a 40% off sale.... https://www.scientificamerican.com/getsciam/?utm_source=promotion&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june24-marketing20240621_summer24link&utm_term=SA_ENGMT_v1_s2

2024-06-21 14:27:29

A new study of 1,500 supernovas gives the most precise measure ever of cosmological time dilation--the way time seems to slow down for objects we observe in the distant universe fun fun fun https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/einsteins-time-dilation-calculated-more-precisely-than-ever-with-exploding/ by @npub1mxw…wuzq

2024-06-21 14:04:14

Comstock established a theocratic surveillance system with abusive police powers to persecute people for sharing information about sex, and now the Comstock Act is being used to restrict abortion. Dems in House & Senate are finally trying to overhaul it. Important history from @npub1hhs…rl5g https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-19th-century-obscenity-law-is-still-restricting-peoples-reproductive-rights/

2024-06-21 13:51:08

Democrats in the House and Senate just introduced legislation to overhaul the Comstock Act & this is VERY IMPORTANT. From the very beginning the act has endangered women's lives https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-comstock-act-originated-with-disregard-for-womens-lives-it-still-does/

2024-06-20 19:58:54

When does summer actually start? Depends on who you ask https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-does-summer-start/

2024-06-20 19:12:31

The oldest deep-sea shipwreck was just discovered -- a Bronze Age ship filled with Canaanite storage jars. It's being excavated now from a mile deep https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oldest-deep-sea-shipwreck-discovered-off-israel/

2024-06-20 18:21:50

"I analyzed data on cardiac incidents from 13 seasons of Doctor Who (2005 to 2023), pored over the cardiovascular literature on humans and other species, and consulted various experts in these and related fields ... for plausible answers to my questions about the Time Lord’s two hearts." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/doctor-whos-time-lords-have-two-hearts-heres-how-their-dual-cardiac-system/

2024-06-20 17:58:48

Overnight low temperatures are heating up twice as fast as daytime high temperatures. And hot nights are dangerous https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-hot-overnight-temperatures-are-so-dangerous/

2024-06-20 13:54:18

Fun fun this is fun: Mathematicians shared their favorite equations -- the ones they think are most beautiful -- and then took photos of them on their chalkboards, notebooks, or drawn in the sand. Just lovely https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-are-the-most-beautiful-equations-in-mathematics/

2024-06-19 17:58:17

Look, summers are not what they used to be. And they're getting worse. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/summers-are-hotter-than-ever-and-are-only-going-to-get-worse/

2024-06-19 14:38:42

Delightful conversation with a photographer who entered a real photo into an AI contest.
"I was hoping that if it won, it would show that nature still outdoes the machine in terms of creativity and beauty and fascination." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-this-real-image-won-an-ai-photo-competition/

2024-06-18 18:53:26

"What can we do about our 'Ignore more, care less, everything is fine!' era?"
This article is an urgent call from two scholars to stop normalizing horrible things, to not lower our standards, to not turn away from wicked problems https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weve-hit-peak-denial-heres-why-we-cant-turn-away-from-reality/

2024-06-18 15:38:58

Today I learned that there are no limits on freight train length, and they can be miles long. A new study finds that long trains are more likely to derail than multiple short ones -- which is intuitive but has been hard to quantify. “We desperately need a law in this country to cap the length of a train” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/longer-freight-trains-are-more-likely-to-derail/

2024-06-18 15:09:05

The "E" in STEM is often missing in K-12 education. Here's how adding engineering can improve kids' understanding of science and ability to solve problems https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/we-should-engineer-better-learning-in-our-schools/

2024-06-18 12:19:39

Take it easy this week if you're under the heat dome, where Vermont will be hotter than Miami. Here's why & what to expect & how to stay safe https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/intense-heat-dome-will-bring-record-breaking-temperatures-to-the-east/

2024-06-17 21:23:37

- reply

We cover space junk pretty intensively and are always looking for more stories. Thanks for the suggestion, Nicole! My email is first dot last at sciam dot com

2024-06-17 16:48:31

Cooling your face, palms of your hands and soles of your feet is an efficient way to cool off when you're hot. Those patches of skin have special blood vessels that shunt blood from arteries to veins directly, bypassing capillaries https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/how-to-cool-down-fast-in-summer-heat/

2024-06-17 14:59:49

The moral panic over trans kids is a continuation of moral panics over comic books, video games, music lyrics & other grievance-driven nonsense that aims to control teenagers https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/anti-trans-moral-panics-endanger-all-young-people/

2024-06-17 14:14:33

The Pythagoreans were a secret society that rejected wealth, lived an ascetic vegetarian lifestyle, believed in reincarnation ... and discovered irrational numbers https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-secret-society-discovered-irrational-numbers/

2024-06-17 12:01:33

- reply

Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to share story ideas anytime

2024-06-17 12:00:57

The new Washington Post publisher said the old buddy he just hired “will restore an even greater degree of investigative rigor to our organization.”
This story is the Post saying: Oh yeah? I got yer investigative rigor right here https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/06/16/washington-post-editor-robert-winnett/

2024-06-14 19:52:43

Voyager 1 is back up & science-ing on all four remaining instruments for the first time in more than 6 months yay https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/voyager-1-is-back-nasa-spacecraft-safely-resumes-all-science-observations/