September 16, 2025 4 min read Readers Respond to the May 2025 Issue Letters to the editors for the May 2025 issue of Scientific American By Aaron Shattuck Scientific American, May 2025 SPEEDY COMETS “Dark Comets,” by Robin George Andrews, describes a group of objects in our solar system with “unexplained” acceleration. That made me… Continue reading Readers Respond to the May 2025 Issue
Can Brazil Become a Regional Space Power?
Brazil, South America’s largest economy, has its sights set on becoming a leading space power, though its path to the stars remains far from certain. One of two Brazilian spaceports, the Alcântara Launch Centre is the closest launch site to the equator by 300km. This is a major advantage as it allows for cheaper rocket… Continue reading Can Brazil Become a Regional Space Power?
First Shape Found That Can’t Pass Through Itself
Suppose you choose an orientation for your two shapes, and the computer tells you that the second shadow sticks out past the border of the first shadow. This rules out one point in the parameter space. But you may be able to rule out much more than a single point. If the second shadow sticks… Continue reading First Shape Found That Can’t Pass Through Itself
Defining Risk in Biological Research: Why Researchers Need Clearer Oversight Frameworks
At the United Nations General Assembly in September, President Trump highlighted his concerns about risky biological research. Significant questions remain, however, about how oversight of high-consequence research will be put into practice. Policymakers and researchers need a consistent and transparent way to weigh the risks and benefits of such research to facilitate review processes and… Continue reading Defining Risk in Biological Research: Why Researchers Need Clearer Oversight Frameworks
Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects
It’s a universal fact that as any 3D object, from a Platonic sphere to a cell to an elephant, grows outward in all directions, its total surface area will increase more slowly than the space it occupies (its volume). If the object’s geometry and shape remain the same as it gets bigger, then its surface… Continue reading Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects
Rebuilding Gaza—from Camps to Communities
In the wake of the fragile ceasefire, thousands of Gazans have trekked home to find ruin. This highlights an unavoidable question: After all the destruction, where can Gazans live? The 20-point proposal to end to the war in Gaza brokered by the White House put it succinctly: “No one will be forced to leave Gaza,… Continue reading Rebuilding Gaza—from Camps to Communities
Weird ‘Time Crystals’ Are Made Visible at Last
September 16, 2025 3 min read Weird ‘Time Crystals’ Are Made Visible at Last Time crystals, a state of matter once thought physically impossible, could soon be on a banknote By Elizabeth Gibney & Nature magazine A time crystal as seen under a microscope. A time crystal is a form of matter that shows continuous,… Continue reading Weird ‘Time Crystals’ Are Made Visible at Last
AI Is Making Jobs, not Taking Them
The future of AI, depending on whom you ask, is everything and anything. It is the key to never-ending economic growth. It is the cause of catastrophic unemployment. It is the driver of lifesaving medical advances. It is the source of grave risks to national security. The truth is that no one knows the full… Continue reading AI Is Making Jobs, not Taking Them
The Ozone Hole Is Steadily Shrinking because of Global Efforts
September 16, 2025 3 min read The Ozone Hole Is Steadily Shrinking because of Global Efforts After nearly 40 years of global efforts, the ozone hole over Antarctica is continuing to heal By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson A 3D rendering of the ozone hole evolution in 2025. Forty years after global policymakers began… Continue reading The Ozone Hole Is Steadily Shrinking because of Global Efforts
An Anatomy of Industrial Involution in China
Spare a thought for Chinese Communist party cadres. In September 2023, at Xi Jinping’s behest, they plunged headlong into building “new quality productive forces.” Barely two years on, the supreme leader scolded them for overzealous investment in those emerging tech sectors and ordered an all-out campaign against “involution.” As if that is not confusing enough,… Continue reading An Anatomy of Industrial Involution in China