GeologyJuly 7, 2025
Magma Pulses Are Tearing Africa Apart
Chemical fingerprints from volcanic rock offer hints of what’s happening in the mantle below the area where three rift zones meet in East Africa
Stories by Nora Bradford
Nora Bradford is the current news intern at Scientific American, a freelance science writer and a Ph.D. student in cognitive science. Follow Bradford on Blusky @norabradford.bsky.social
MicrobiomeJuly 4, 2025
Human Gut Bacteria Can Gather Up PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’
When tested on their own and in mice, these bacterial strains from the human microbiome show promise in accumulating PFAS
NeuroscienceJuly 3, 2025
Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy
Adult brains grow new neurons, and scientists have finally pinpointed where they come from
Space ExplorationJuly 3, 2025
New Interstellar Object Stuns Scientists as It Zooms through Solar System
All eyes are on Comet 3I/ATLAS as astronomers worldwide chase the exotic ice ball through our solar system
ArchaeologyJune 25, 2025
Scientists Used Prehistoric Tools to Build a Canoe, Then Paddled Across 140 Miles from Taiwan to Japan
Researchers and expert seafarers teamed up to re-create an ocean journey from more than 30,000 years ago
NeuroscienceJune 10, 2025
What a Wandering Mind Learns
Zoning out reveals hidden patterns in tasks
AnimalsDecember 22, 2023
Octopuses Are Colorblind. Here’s How They See the World
Cephalopods have developed unique visual systems to deal with their underwater world
CognitionJuly 1, 2023
Humans Can Spot Tiny Numerical Differences
Where is the line between knowing and guessing?
AnimalsMarch 1, 2023
How Octopus Arms Bypass the Brain
A secret pattern links far-flung octopus limbs
RoboticsMarch 1, 2023
Soft Robots Take Steps toward Independence
Squishy robots can now heal themselves and grow as they explore