Podcast: Download MYS396: Starting in 1960, comic books began advertising mail order pets known as sea monkeys, the brainchild of inventor Harold von Braunhut. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli investigate the whimsical creatures, their creator, and a series of disappointing revelations connected to them. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow by Email… Continue reading The Amazing Sea-Monkeys!
How 3D Laser Scanning Could Reconstruct the Charlie Kirk Shooting
Charlie Kirk, 31-year-old founder of the conservative nonprofit organization Turning Point USA, was shot on Wednesday while speaking outdoors at Utah Valley University. He was pronounced dead later that day. Officials say the single shot may have been fired from a nearby rooftop. On Friday, after a massive manhunt, authoritiesannounced that a suspect, Tyler Robinson,… Continue reading How 3D Laser Scanning Could Reconstruct the Charlie Kirk Shooting
Platforming Parenting Interventions: A New Repository Can Improve Support for Caregivers Globally
Children’s ability to survive, thrive, and navigate the path to adulthood is significantly influenced by their parents and caregivers. The brain development of infants depends on a loving bond with a primary caregiver, and the benefits of secure attachment extend well beyond this age, with parent-child relationship quality also predicting wellbeing later in life. Those… Continue reading Platforming Parenting Interventions: A New Repository Can Improve Support for Caregivers Globally
Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
The reason we can gracefully glide on an ice-skating rink or clumsily slip on an icy sidewalk is that the surface of ice is coated by a thin watery layer. Scientists generally agree that this lubricating, liquidlike layer is what makes ice slippery. They disagree, though, about why the layer forms. Three main theories about… Continue reading Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
Turning Policy into Habit: Where the UK’s Vision of a Circular Economy May Be Won or Lost
Recycling a yoghurt pot shouldn’t feel harder than throwing it away. Yet, for many in the United Kingdom, doing the ‘right thing’ still takes more effort than the easy thing. For the government’s circular economy reforms to succeed, that balance needs to flip—the system itself must make repair, reuse, and recycling feel routine. In March,… Continue reading Turning Policy into Habit: Where the UK’s Vision of a Circular Economy May Be Won or Lost
Measles in the Brain Can Kill Years after Infection, Child’s Death Shows
September 12, 2025 3 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Child’s Death Shows How Measles in the Brain Can Kill Years after an Infection A child in Los Angeles County has died from a rare but always fatal brain disorder that develops years after a measles infection. Experts underscore the need for vaccination to… Continue reading Measles in the Brain Can Kill Years after Infection, Child’s Death Shows
2025 RAND Wrap-Up: Research That Defined Our Year
RAND’s purpose has always been straightforward. We tackle the hardest problems. We answer the toughest questions. In times of risk and uncertainty, we help policymakers make informed, robust decisions. In 2025, that meant helping to build an even stronger, more ready, and more effective military. It meant helping decisionmakers understand and prepare for the risks… Continue reading 2025 RAND Wrap-Up: Research That Defined Our Year
New York City’s Rats Have a Secret Nightlife—And a Language Humans Can’t Hear
Here in New York City, we humans crown ourselves rulers of the five boroughs—but the kingdom is split. We cohabit with a parallel society that commutes along subway rails, picnics in parks and patronizes trash cans like they’re Restaurant Row. A new field study watched them the way New Yorkers often watch each other: from… Continue reading New York City’s Rats Have a Secret Nightlife—And a Language Humans Can’t Hear
The Changing Economic Dimension of Warfare
This commentary was originally published by The National Interest on December 12, 2025. “It’s the economy, stupid.” So said James Carville, an advisor to Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, and many peacetime politicians since. But it is also an idea that has kept military planners and wartime leaders awake at night. War has always… Continue reading The Changing Economic Dimension of Warfare
A Newly Approved Vaccine Could Help Save Australia’s Koalas from a Deadly Chlamydia Epidemic
This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American‘s board of editors. Rachel Feltman: Happy Monday, listeners! For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. You’re listening to our weekly science news roundup, where we dive into some of the headlines you might have missed last week. We’ll… Continue reading A Newly Approved Vaccine Could Help Save Australia’s Koalas from a Deadly Chlamydia Epidemic