Chemistry
A new book explores the link between film giant Kodak and the atomic bomb
In Tales of Militant Chemistry, Alice Lovejoy traces how film giants Kodak and Agfa helped produce weapons of war during the 20th century.
Current Issue
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
Why are so many young people getting cancer?
Diagnoses for several cancers before age 50 have been increasing rapidly since the 1990s. Scientists don’t know why, but they have a few suspects.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Archaeology
This ancient Siberian ice mummy had a talented tattooist
Researchers reconstructed a roughly 2,000-year-old woman’s tattoos, from prowling tigers to a fantastical griffinlike creature.
Technically Fiction
Planetary Science
Future Martians will need to breathe. It won’t be easy
Asteroid impacts, microbes, mining: These are a few tactics engineers might one day use to create an Earthlike atmosphere on Mars.
More Stories from the October 1, 2025 issue
- Health & Medicine
Brains don’t all act their age
A slew of new research attempts to zero in on what happens as our brains get older — and what can bring about those changes early.
- Humans
A child’s biological sex may not always be a random 50-50 chance
Some people’s biology may set them up to birth babies of a certain sex, explaining why a family with multiple children may have all girls or all boys.
- Artificial Intelligence
Can AI ‘feel’ guilt?
Research based on game theory suggests if we program AI agents with a sense of guilt, they could behave more cooperatively, much like humans do.
- Climate
A Midwest ‘megaflash’ is the longest lightning on record
A reanalysis of satellite data shows that a 2017 Texas-to-Missouri lightning megaflash stretched 829 kilometers and lasted 7.39 seconds.
- Astronomy
Two colliding galaxies may have birthed this black hole
An infinity symbol–shaped galaxy hosts an active supermassive black hole. The growing giant may have come from the aftermath of a galactic smashup.
- Quantum Physics
A quantum computer goes to space
Quantum computers in space could be useful for communications networks or for testing fundamental physics.
- Paleontology
Dinosaur teeth reveal some were picky eaters
The enamel in fossilized teeth reveals some dinosaurs preferred to eat particular parts of plants.
- Archaeology
AI reveals new details about a famous Latin inscription
An analysis of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti using AI reveals its legal tone and imperial messaging, offering new insights missed by historians.
- Plants
Potatoes have their roots in ancient tomatoes
Knowing potatoes’ origin story could help future-proof the crucial crop against climate threats.
- Health & Medicine
How flossing a mouse’s teeth could lead to a new kind of vaccine
Flu viruses often enter the body through mucous tissue in the nose. Researchers are developing new ways to protect such areas.
- Astronomy
Seven superclouds sit just beyond the solar system
The superclouds probably produce star-forming clouds of gas, since most nearby stellar nurseries are located within the giants.
- Astronomy
Betelgeuse’s companion star revealed in new images
Revealed by advanced imaging, the long-sought "Betelbuddy" is much smaller and fainter than Betelgeuse and orbits within the supergiant’s atmosphere.
- Health & Medicine
How many steps a day do you really need to take?
An analysis of 57 studies shows that people who walked a certain number of steps were less likely to die from any cause compared with those who walked less.
- Health & Medicine
Seeing sick faces may prime the immune system to repel invaders
Seeing sick-looking faces in virtual reality triggers brain circuit changes related to threat detection and boosts activity of certain immune cells.
- Animals
The mystery of melting sea stars may finally be solved
A bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida may be melting sea stars along North America’s Pacific coast.
- Physics
Sunlight is all that’s needed to keep these tiny aircraft aloft
Sun-powered fliers could use photophoretic forces to hover in the mesosphere, gathering data from a region off limits to planes and balloons.
- Genetics
This snail may hold a secret to human eye regeneration
Golden apple snails can regrow full, functional eyes. Studying their genes may reveal how to repair human eye injuries.
- Animals
This desert beetle runs to cool off
After a sprint, the temperature of the beetle Onymacris plana drops. Efficient running, a body built for cooling and a little bit of lift all help.
- Animals
A dog’s taste for TV may depend on its temperament
Anxious dogs might react nervously to some television sounds, a survey of dog owners reports, while hyper ones might try to play chase.
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Math puzzle: The four islands
Solve the math puzzle from our October 2025 issue, in which four princesses divide up lands to keep peace.
