David M. Ewalt

U.S. Science Has Weathered Attacks Before and Won Federal officials seized 3,000 copies of Scientific American in 1950 in a “red scare” era of attacks on science. The move backfired, and offers lessons for today

"Federal officials seized 3,000 copies of Scientific American in 1950 in a 'red scare' era of attacks on science. The move backfired, and offers lessons for today."

www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

By @danvergano.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social

For 180 years, Scientific American covers have invited readers on voyages of discovery—from deep oceans to distant galaxies. Now it’s your turn! Capture your own moment of exploration with our photo challenge.

Terms & Conditions apply. See official rules: sciam.com/180contest #SciAmInTheWild

515-Mile-Long Lightning Megaflash Sets New World Record A lighting flash that spanned from East Texas to an area near Kansas City in 2017 is officially the longest lightning strike ever measured, according to the World Meteorological Organization

A lighting flash that spanned from East Texas to an area near Kansas City is officially the longest lightning strike ever measured. www.scientificamerican.com/article/ligh...

Why the Russia Earthquake Didn't Cause a Huge Tsunami Russia's magnitude-8.8 earthquake spawned serious tsunami warnings, but waves have been moderate so far. Here's the geological reason why

Another earthquake story from @sciam.bsky.social by the always-excellent @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social explaining why the tsunami from the Russia quake wasn't as huge as the one from the 2011 Japan quake, for example. 🧪

Why Dungeons and Dragons Is Good for Your Brain Researchers and therapists explore the mental health benefits of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons are powerful tools for mental health. Science Quickly’s Rachel Feltman spoke to researchers and dungeon master Brennan Lee Mulligan to explore how collaborative storytelling can help us thrive—and be used as therapy. www.scientificamerican.com/video/why-du...

Tsunami Warnings Issued after Magnitude-8.7 Earthquake off the Coast of Russia Tsunami warnings and advisories were issues around the Pacific Ocean after a magnitude-8.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, the largest earthquake since the 2011 Japan earthquake and resulti...

Good morning! Here's what you need to know about the Russia earthquake and tsunami risk: 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/tsun...

Why Ticks and Lyme Disease Are Soaring This Summer A vector ecologist explains the complexities of tracking tick-borne diseases like Lyme in a climate-changed world

2025 is shaping up to be a particularly bad year for tick-borne diseases in the US. Here's why, and what you can do to protect yourself. www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

Double Meteor Showers Make for Magical Night Sky The Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids are due to peak at the same time and may add up to something magical

Look up! Two meteor showers hit their peak tonight AND a third is ramping up. Here's how to watch: www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

maybe there's still some good left in this world after all

Mathematicians and Computer Scientists Can’t Stop Playing Tetris—But Not for the Reasons You Think How complex can a simple game be? Tetris pushes even supercomputers to their limits and amazes mathematicians

How complex can a simple game be? Tetris pushes even supercomputers to their limits and amazes mathematicians. www.scientificamerican.com/article/tetr...

YouTube video by Scientific American Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for your brain

In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman talks with professional dungeon master @brennanleemulligan.bsky.social about the rise of @dimension20.bsky.social, the emotional power of role-play, and what Dungeons & Dragons could do for your mental health.

Your Chatbot Says It Might Be Conscious. Should You Believe It? As large language models like Claude 4 express uncertainty about whether they are conscious, researchers race to decode their inner workings, raising profound questions about machine awareness, ethics and the risks of uncontrolled AI evolution

As large language models like Claude 4 express uncertainty about whether they are conscious, researchers race to decode their inner workings, raising profound questions about machine awareness, ethics and the risks of uncontrolled AI evolution

Federal Science Workers Say Agencies Are ‘Going in the Wrong Direction’ Hundreds of staffers at the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the National Science Foundation have signed public letters to leadership opposing the direction in ...

“I thought I would be helping people,” says Michael Pasqua, a life scientist and program manager for the EPA’s safe drinking water efforts in Wisconsin. 🧪

(by @meghanbartels.bsky.social in @sciam.bsky.social)

How to Keep Your Home Cool in Extreme Heat When extreme heat arrives, here are science-based tips to keep your home cool, from the most efficient way to use air conditioning to strategic uses of fans

Half the country will be broiling under a head dome for the next few days. Here's what science has to say about keeping your house cool and efficient: www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

YouTube video by CNN What do billionaire space flights mean for the rest of us? | Terms of Service

What's the deal with private spaceflight? What are the pros & cons? Is it turning space into a playground for the ultra-wealthy, or are there benefits for all? Check out my chat with
@cnn.com's @claresduffy.bsky.social on her "Terms of Service" podcast to find out:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXnv...

‘Corn Sweat’ Is Real—And It’s Making This Heat Wave Miserable Humid heat is blanketing the eastern U.S. this week, exacerbated by “corn sweat” in the Midwest

Why is it so humid today? Blame the corn. www.scientificamerican.com/article/humi...

Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency Serious? Trump’s Diagnosis Explained After photos showed President Donald Trump with swollen ankles and bruised hands, the White House revealed he has chronic venous insufficiency—a blood vessel disease that affects circulation in the le...

After photos showed President Trump with swollen ankles and bruised hands, the White House revealed he has chronic venous insufficiency. Here's what that means: www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

New Interstellar Object Is Full of Mysteries. Here’s What Scientists Most Want to Learn Scientists are racing to learn as much as possible about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS before it fades from view forever

Earlier this month astronomers spotted a mysterious interstellar object zooming through our solar system. As it blasts past Jupiter's orbit and closes in on Mars, scientists are racing to learn what they can, but 7 big mysteries remain... www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

China Is Putting Data Centers in the Ocean to Keep Them Cool China is pulling ahead of the rest of the world in sinking data centers that power AI into the ocean as an alternate way to keep them cool

AI data centers consume vast amounts of electricity and water because they generate so much waste heat, and need to be constantly cooled. China's new solution: Sink them in the ocean. www.scientificamerican.com/article/chin...

There Is a Beach That Contains Clues of How a Bird Flu Pandemic Could Take Off The first hints that a new strain of avian illness is emerging could be found on this beach on Delaware Bay, where migrating birds flock. Here’s what virus detectives who return there every year know ...

For 40 years, virus detectives have flocked to NJ beaches to track avian influenza. Their clues? Bird poop 💩 I followed that team to explain H5N1's history in a special Science Quickly podcast series. Featured today in @sciam.bsky.social's bird flu issue: www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/epis...

YouTube video by Scientific American What is Scientific American?

We finally made it to Bluesky—just a few billion years after the Big Bang, and only slightly late to the party ✨🌌

We’re sharing some of our best stories from the year so far to kick off our Bluesky journey!

Had a meeting at the UN today, and found it difficult to pay attention with this as the view on the other side of the conference table.

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Independence starts with independent journalism! Stand up for science and subscribe to Scientific American this weekend. We're having a huge 40% off sale! sciam.com/getsciam

4 Books Scientific American Loved Reading In June Here's a collection of exclusive book recommendations, from slithering snakes to a river's impact, for your summer reading lists, curated by Scientific American

Quick, sign up for Today in Science now to see exclusive book reviews every Friday - you might even get to see my thoughts on the new Murderbot show on Apple TV 🤖 www.scientificamerican.com/article/4-no...

Humpback Whales Are Blowing ‘Bubble Rings’ at Boats. Are They Trying to Communicate? Researchers bring a SETI approach to the question of what—if anything—humpbacks’ underwater smoke rings might be trying to “say”

“We were just gobsmacked—like, ‘What the hell is going on? For a team that’s interested in assisting astrobiologists parse unusual signals coming from deep space, it just fell real neatly into our paradigm…. It’s so bizarre.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/hump...

Scientific American Volume 1, Issue 10 "Mechanics in Our Common Schools", "Improved Farm Gate", "Suggestion to Aquarium Builders" and more

When you're searching your 179-year-old magazine's archive and come across an article from 1859 entitled "Remedy for Insect Bites," you click to read about the 1859 remedy for insect bites.

(Borax, it turns out. Or ammonia.)

www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/185...

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I've been overwhelmed by the support for my new gig at Scientific American, and how many people said they wanted to subscribe, so I got discounts! Follow the link below, choose any plan, and use the DAVID25 promotion code during checkout for 30% off.
www.scientificamerican.com/getsciam/

Inside the Secret Meeting Where Mathematicians Struggled to Outsmart AI The world's leading mathematicians were stunned by how adept artificial intelligence is at doing their jobs

Only on @sciam.bsky.social!
“I was not prepared to be contending with an LLM like this... That’s what a scientist does. That’s frightening.”
www.scientificamerican.com/article/insi...

For 180 years, Scientific American has advocated for science. It’s been a voice of progress, an ally of industry and innovation. It’s educated and informed and delighted. It’s made the world a better place, and I'm honored to be part of that legacy. group.springernature.com/gp/group/med...

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