The retina can reveal subtle signs of disease long before cognitive and behavioral symptoms appear.

Interstellar objects have unbound orbits: They approach the Sun, head back out, and never return.

Journalist Ryan Goldberg’s Bird City: Adventures in New York’s Urban Wilds is a hyperlocal travelogue that embeds the reader in the experience of finding birds in New York City, illustrating how birding can connect us to our home places, even the profoundly urban.

James Welsh recently co-authored an article titled "Weathering Space" in the January-February 2026 issue of American Scientist. Welsh joined the New Books Network podcast to talk more about his research. Check out the interview paired with the article.

A new book explores the arts and creativity from a numerical perspective.

Astronomers find unexpected links between interstellar objects and cryptic "dark comets." Also in this issue: 💎 Mantle waves and the origin of diamonds 👁 The eyes as windows to Alzheimer's detection 🖥 Cutting the cycle of AI Slop in journals

Tales of a warming Arctic frequently make national and international news. Yet the seasonal human-animal rhythms that structure life in the region are missing in media coverage of permafrost and melting glaciers.

Although an ocean's horizon may look flat, the body of water certainly isn't. Ocean water is constantly mixing, left and right, up and down. Understanding this movement is critical to understanding changing climate patterns worldwide.

Gathering data, however, presents some challenges. How does one find out what's going on in the middle of the ocean if tide gauges are on the coasts? Some are well monitored; others haven't collected data in decades.

Good afternoon! My name is Daniela and I'm one of SCONC's new interns. For today's Science by the Slice, we're delighted to welcome UNC's Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky for his talk, "The Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission: NASA's Eye in the Sky for Earth's Water" Stay tuned for more!

Curious about NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission that helps scientists better understand climate change and ocean dynamics from space? Our next Science by the Slice with UNC's Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky is next Wed. at 12:30pm. #hybrid LEARN MORE: sconc.wildapricot.org/event-6509622

"One successful way of making this happen is championed by my colleague Judith Harackiewicz, where we get them to think about what we call utility value of whatever it is that we need them to be interested in. In other words, how is it useful to you?"

In this roundup, associate editor @ngerbis.bsky.social summarizes notable recent developments in scientific research, selected from reports compiled in the free electronic newsletter Sigma Xi SmartBrief. www.americanscientist.org/article/brie...

The perspectives and experiences of deaf people in the United States are complex, varied, and ever-evolving.

Ecological awareness and activism often begin with a personal story or connection to nature, and Priyanka Kumar has zeroed in on an iconic fruit that is part of American lore.

What would change if we valued growth over looking competent? Listen to the full episode here: open.spotify.com/episode/48cG...

Simon A. Levin is known for the development of the foundations of spatial ecology and his work on pattern and scale. More recently, his research has focused on the interface between ecology and economics, especially regarding problems of public goods and communally pooled resources.

Circling back with absolutely no new information. The entire season of "Wired for This" is available now!

Researchers are developing methods to apply the DNA defense system of “water bears” to medicine, agriculture, space biology, and data storage.

Not so long ago, researchers considered publishing well—having a strong record of one’s work appearing in top journals—to be the gold standard for measuring impact.

In The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy, Susan Wise Bauer writes that throughout history, explaining and preventing illness has played an outsize role in how we relate to each other and to authority.

From breakthrough insights to reader favorites, these are the articles that sparked conversation and kept (you) our audience coming back all year long.

Troubleshooting is the art and science of getting to the root of a fault and understanding how to fix it.

A look back at the most impactful, insightful, and widely read blogs that shaped our year.

Solar installations and urban sprawl in the Mojave have helped raven numbers soar at the cost of vulnerable prey.

Insects and other small creatures were a favorite subject of early modern European naturalists.

What causes auroras?

Planned missions to Mars and other destinations beyond the Earth−Moon system will face considerably greater radiation risks than past missions.

A new class of origami has potential applications for medical implants and space structures.

The study of robotics from a philosophical perspective requires that we ask what defines both life and personhood, to make the prescientific idea of anima or vital spirit more precise.

For more than half a century, messenger RNA (mRNA) was relegated to the shadows of molecular biology. This humble courier of genetic instructions received little attention outside of biology classrooms and research labs. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

A research group at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, has built upon the foundational work of Yoshimura and others using advanced mathematical and computer models.

Vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) are nearly always administered by injection. But what if mRNA therapeutics could instead be packed into pills?

@americanscientist.org calls GIRLS PLAY DEAD by @jenpercy.bsky.social "a much-needed exploration of the ways in which women survive trauma and carry it with them (physically and psychologically), along with how fear shapes behavior." www.americanscientist.org/blog/science...

Thank you, @americanscientist.org and Barbara Aulicino, for including Lab Dog in your Science Book Gift Guide! 🩶 #booksky, #dogs, #animals, #animalresearch 💙📚

The words on the computer screen blur into a tapestry of human struggle. Housing evictions. Missed medical appointments because of a lack of transportation. Histories of trauma creating barriers to trust.

Still hunting for that perfect last-minute gift? Our staff rounded up the STEM reads they can’t put down—discover your next brilliant pick.

How can we detect misinformation when it comes from people trust?

If you’ve ever wondered whether a sheep could donate skin to a human, or whether a colon could moonlight as a vagina, Mary Roach has answers for you.

Save the date! #GivingTuesday is December 2nd! Make your first gift of the holiday season one that supports science and students. Your gift fuels discovery, empowers students, and strengthens science for society and the greater good. Learn more: https://ow.ly/RcBQ50Xxb7W

In his new book, Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, Jeffrey Kluger—perhaps best known as the coauthor of Apollo 13, the book that served as the basis for the movie by the same name—provides a thorough history of NASA’s Gemini program.

Author Cutter Wood is not a scientist. He’s not a physician, duty bound to sometimes ask about these bodily products. He’s a guy with an MFA and an interest in these gross bodily outputs—mucus, stool, blood, breath, and flatus.

The human immune system is a marvel of complexity, coordinating the activities of many different cell types to try to protect the body from invaders.

Contradictory findings persist in social sciences, undermining validity, reliability, and public trust in research. Practices such as open science cannot fully address this problem.

For most of human history, it was common for societies to have flexible social hierarchies and practices. This adaptability allowed humans to thrive in different environments.

A century ago, The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes trial kicked off what is now thought of as America’s 100-year culture war centering on evolution and creationism.

A patient with serious heart disease might go without noticeable symptoms for a long time.

Detecting the Dark Ages signal could help answer some of the biggest questions in cosmology, such as the nature of dark energy and the origin of the large-scale structure.

People have witnessed masting since time immemorial; after all, it's pretty obvious when you're tripping over nuts strewn all over the path some years and you find barely one or two in others.

Adult ADHD diagnoses have become more common as the definition of the condition has broadened. However, treatment of “light ADHD” does not constitute overdiagnosis.