Dinosaurs Lived--and Made Little Dinos--in the Arctic

New research shows that the prehistoric giants were even cooler than we thought Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin. Wintering in the northernmost regions of Alaska is no walk in the park. It’s cold and dark and sometimes snowy. But that didn’t stop dinosaurs from nesting there during the Cretaceous period....

19h

During a Rodent Quadrathlon, Researchers Learn That Ground Squirrels Have Personalities

The rodents’ personalities may help them to secure territory and avoid prey. Maddie Bender: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Maddie Bender. Compared to its more famous, bushy-tailed cousin the tree squirrel, the golden-mantled ground squirrel looks a lot like a chipmunk and spends most of the year hibernating. And talk about...

4d

A Car Crash Snaps the Daydreaming Mind into Focus

One researcher’s poorly timed attention lapse flipped a car—and pushed science forward. Karen Hopkin: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Karen Hopkin. It happens to us all. You might be reading a book or washing the dishes or maybe even listening to a podcast when suddenly you realize your mind was miles away.  Well, if you’ve...

6d

COVID, Quickly, Episode 14: Best Masks, Explaining Mask Anger, Biden's New Plan

Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between. You can listen to all past episodes here. Tanya Lewis: Hi, and welcome...

2w

The Kavli Prize Presents: Understanding Atoms [Sponsored]

Gerd Binnig shared the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience in 2016 for inventing the atomic force microscope. What transformative impact has this invention had on nanoscience? This podcast was produced for the Kavli Prize by Scientific American Custom Media, a division separate from the magazine’s board of editors. Megan Hall: Today’s nanoscience wouldn’t...

2w

In Missouri, a Human 'Bee' Works to Better Understand Climate Change's Effects

Researcher Matthew Austin has become a wildflower pollinator, sans the wings. Shahla Farzan: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Shahla Farzan. Many plants and animals use temperature and other environmental cues like a calendar — letting them know when it’s time to bloom or find a mate. But climate change is disrupting these...

2w

In Missouri, a Human "Bee" Works to Better Understand Climate Change's Effects

Researcher Matthew Austin has become a wildflower pollinator, sans the wings. Shahla Farzan: This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Shahla Farzan. Many plants and animals use temperature and other environmental cues like a calendar — letting them know when it’s time to bloom or find a mate. But climate change is disrupting these...

2w

These Baby Bats, like Us, Were Born to Babble

The greater sac-winged bat develops its own language in much the way we do ours. This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Mark Stratton. Mark Stratton: It was lights out, and the babies were up. Again. Ahana Fernandez, of the Natural History Museum, Berlin, pointed her microphone at the day roost. She was trying to catch these bat pups...

3w

These Baby Bats, Like Us, Were Born to Babble

The greater sac-winged bat develops its own language in much the way we do ours. This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Mark Stratton. Mark Stratton: It was lights out, and the babies were up. Again. Ahana Fernandez, of the Natural History Museum, Berlin, pointed her microphone at the day roost. She was trying to catch these bat pups...

3w

Their Lives Have Been Upended by Hurricane Ida

Theresa and Donald Dardar lived their whole lives in coastal Louisiana. They knew the "big one" might come some day. It did, and now everything is uncertain. Duy Linh Tu: I’m Duy Linh Tu, and this is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science.  Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast on Sunday.  By landfall, it was a category 4 storm. 150 mile...

3w