Thinking about welcoming the new year with a polar plunge? Here's what science has to say about the practice

The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025

GLP-1s are about to become so much more ubiquitous.

There's hope for me yet.

Lawmakers just confirmed Jared Isaacman as the new head of NASA. One wonders what this means for the agency's space science and exploration programs... New on @sciam.bsky.social ---->

Astronomers have discovered a bizarre lemon-shaped exoplanet orbiting a dense, rapidly spinning dead star. But those details are perhaps the least weird thing about it. Latest in @sciam.bsky.social! www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

RFK, Jr.–Backed Lyme Disease Conspiracy Theory May Be Probed under New Bill www.scientificamerican.com/article/rfk-... President Donald Trump is expected to sign a defense bill this week that orders an investigation into whether the U.S. military bioengineered Lyme disease

“In my career, I have seen children with hepatitis B. I’ve seen children die of liver failure, which is a horrible death. I would never wish this on anybody,” say Yvonne Maldonado, Stanford pediatrician. These risks have now increased under the new ACIP vaccine vote today. More @sciam.bsky.social:

It's been thought since the early 70s that eukaryotes (basically any life with a cell nucleus) wouldn't survive above 62C and no complex life had been shown living above 60C. Until the "fire amoeba"... 🧪 (These are some of my favorite stories to write, just weird neat stuff we're learning.)

Unsure what to get your loved ones — or yourself — for the holidays? @sciam.bsky.social subs are currently half off! Consider subscribing and supporting original, thought-provoking and delightful journalism. ✌️ www.scientificamerican.com/getsciam/

A big vote on the hepatitis B birth vaccine dose is pushed to tomorrow after CDC advisers seemed confused and caught off guard by new recommendations. "There have been multiple arguments between ACIP members. It’s frankly embarrassing," says @angierasmussen.bsky.social. Read @sciam.bsky.social 💉

Today in nightmare fuel, courtesy of a skunk scratch from beyond the grave. Now on @sciam.bsky.social ----> www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

Scientists announced on Wednesday that they have found no evidence for the hypothetical “sterile neutrino,” a fourth version of the ghostly neutrino particles that are ubiquitous in the universe. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on Friday updated its regulation and monitoring of several iconic shark and ray species

Newly identified bones tie the mysterious Burtele foot to a new Australopithecus species that lived alongside Lucy more than three million years ago

Human brains go through five distinct phases of life, each defined by its own set of characteristics, according to a new study

Just as we experience different phases of life, our brain also experiences five distinct eras as we age. Each are defined by changes in our neural architecture that influence how we process information, new research shows. New on @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...

🚨NEW: Iran will move its capital due to an ecological catastrophe. Experts warn the move won’t help the nearly 10 million people living in Tehran, who will continue to face the impacts of corruption and climate change. “We saw this coming,” one source told me. My story @sciam.bsky.social 🧪

The CDC is reportedly ending its monkey research program. The decision will impact infectious disease studies, and the fate of 200-or-so monkeys remains unclear. New on @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...

Exclusive: @danvergano.bsky.social reports on what's in a list of 383 shelved clinical trials affected by NIH grant terminations, obtained by SciAm. Now on @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/halt...

Halted NIH Clinical Trials List Reveals Slashed Treatments for Cancer, COVID and Minority Health www.scientificamerican.com/article/halt... Sickle cell disease, sleep disorders and lung cancer & much more A dive into the list of NIH's 383 shelved clinical trials, obtained by Scientific American

🚨NEW: A massive new study found no link between exposure to recommended levels of fluoride and IQ decline in children. Over the past year, Health Secretary RFK Junior has claimed that fluoride causes IQ loss, neuro disorders and bone cancer, among other issues. My story for @sciam.bsky.social 🧪

Please do yourselves a favor and listen to these birds mimic R2-D2. (And learn something about how some species are able to do it better than others!) (by Kate Graham-Shaw for @sciam.bsky.social)

New on @sciam.bsky.social Harvard has reportedly launched an investigation into former uni president and influential economist Larry Summers and almost a dozen other scholars over ties to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. www.scientificamerican.com/article/epst...

The U.S. is poised to lose its measles elimination status in January, if current outbreaks in Utah and Arizona aren't brought under control. @sipappas.bsky.social recently wrote about what that would mean for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...

Cuts to mRNA research now could hold such unspeakable consequences for the future of medicine.

True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite. The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites. www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: NASA’s presumptive next leader, Jared Isaacman, wants to outsource more of the space agency’s interplanetary science. The newly launched ESCAPADE mission to Mars offers a sanity check for those plans. www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

I, for one, welcome our new trash panda overlords. But for real, fascinating science on how we might be seeing the very early stages of domestication in action in wild animals. 🧪 By @marinacoladas.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social

Of course my first byline in @sciam.bsky.social is a story about a rocket launch... www.scientificamerican.com/article/blue...

Jeffrey Epstein Emails Reveal Depth of Ties to High-Profile Scientists A trove of emails of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released Wednesday by a Congressional committee www.scientificamerican.com/article/jeff...

Completely thrilled to share that I’m starting a new position as Breaking News Chief @sciam.bsky.social! It's a great moment to be fully returning to science journalism — vital reporting is needed now more than ever. Got a tip? Or a neat discovery? Email me at [email protected] ✌️

Fun story spotlighting some of the incredible microphotography featured in this year's Nikon Small World competition for Nat Geo! Read it here ---> www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/...

What is perimenopause? That was the question I sought to answer in my latest story for National Geographic, but teasing out the nature of this critical period in women's lives remains very much a scientific work in progress. I have so many more questions! www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...

Business leaders are using AI in ways many executives could only dream of a few short years ago. And that's giving CEOs a lot to think about when it comes to managing their people. Read on to find out how in my latest for Inc! www.inc.com/claire-camer...

In my latest story for Nautilus, I take you on an interstellar tour to some of the most terrifying and beautiful climates in the cosmos. Prepare for a chance of diamond rain and a lot of lava. Note: This is paywalled. Consider subscribing! No regrets, I promise. nautil.us/visit-the-7-...

I had never heard of this life-threatening condition before I was diagnosed with it. f you run, or do any kind of sports, especially in the heat, then this is for you. My latest in @slate.com slate.com/technology/2...

Really interesting conversation!

US Federal Aviation Administration chief Mike Whitaker announced that he will resign before President-elect Trump takes office.

A Swiss auction house has become the first to sell a piece of artwork authenticated solely by artificial intelligence.