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American Scientist
@americanscientist.org
· Oct 14
Quantum Origin of the Universe
Deep microwave sky maps reveal details of large-scale cosmic evolution.
www.americanscientist.org
The large-scale structure of the universe was set by the tiniest of forces—quantum fluctuations—during the incredibly brief period of rapid expansion that occurred just after the Big Bang.
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.
The Pinocchio Puzzle
Artificial life researchers explore life as it could be with robots.
www.americanscientist.org
December 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Messenger RNA Can Do More for Medicine
A pill form of the therapeutic technology would increase its potential uses and ease distribution and administration challenges.
www.americanscientist.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
When Art and Engineering Fold Together
A new class of origami has potential applications for medical implants and space structures.
www.americanscientist.org
December 19, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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?
January-February 2026
Volume: 114 Number: 1
www.americanscientist.org
December 17, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Vaccines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) are nearly always administered by injection. But what if mRNA therapeutics could instead be packed into pills?
Reposted by American Scientist
@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...
Science Book Gift Guide 2025
STEM-related books for any time of the year
www.americanscientist.org
December 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM
@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...
Reposted by American Scientist
Thank you, @americanscientist.org and Barbara Aulicino, for including Lab Dog in your Science Book Gift Guide! 🩶 #booksky, #dogs, #animals, #animalresearch 💙📚
December 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
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.
Finding Humanity in Health Data
A framework moves research beyond demographics to measure the systemic barriers to wellness.
www.americanscientist.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Science Book Gift Guide 2025
STEM-related books for any time of the year
www.americanscientist.org
December 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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?
Certain and Wrong: Why False Facts Feel True | Wired For This
American Scientist Podcast · Episode
open.spotify.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Body Parts, Reimagined
www.americanscientist.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Reposted by American Scientist
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
November 24, 2025 at 9:27 PM
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.
Preparing for Apollo
www.americanscientist.org
December 2, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
What Goes In Must Come Out
www.americanscientist.org
November 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Inspired by Immunity
www.americanscientist.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Teams of Rivals
Adversarial collaborations offer a rigorous way to resolve opposing scientific findings, inform key sociopolitical issues, and help repair trust in science.
www.americanscientist.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Seasons of Change
Foraging communities of the past and present demonstrate a social fluidity that is absent in many modern community structures.
www.americanscientist.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
On a Wing and a Prayer?
A century after the Scopes trial, a look back shows the development and folly of creationist supernatural engineering.
www.americanscientist.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Getting to the Heart with AI
Deep learning programs may be able to examine data from a common medical test to flag patients with undiagnosed cardiac disease.
www.americanscientist.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
A Lunar Farside Radio Telescope
www.americanscientist.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
The Mystery of Masting in Trees
www.americanscientist.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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.
Rethinking Adult ADHD
The diagnostic category for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder has become more inclusive, but that does not mean the condition is being overdiagnosed.
www.americanscientist.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Adult ADHD diagnoses have become more common as the definition of the condition has broadened. However, treatment of “light ADHD” does not constitute overdiagnosis.
Cognitive science meets the classroom.
We're talking with Dr. Dan Willingham—psychologist, professor, and author of Why Don’t Students Like School?—about what it really means to think for yourself in today’s world.
🎧 From "Wired for This" — full episode available now!
We're talking with Dr. Dan Willingham—psychologist, professor, and author of Why Don’t Students Like School?—about what it really means to think for yourself in today’s world.
🎧 From "Wired for This" — full episode available now!
Cognitive Confidence
American Scientist Podcast · Episode
open.spotify.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Cognitive science meets the classroom.
We're talking with Dr. Dan Willingham—psychologist, professor, and author of Why Don’t Students Like School?—about what it really means to think for yourself in today’s world.
🎧 From "Wired for This" — full episode available now!
We're talking with Dr. Dan Willingham—psychologist, professor, and author of Why Don’t Students Like School?—about what it really means to think for yourself in today’s world.
🎧 From "Wired for This" — full episode available now!
The Great Green Wall is an ambitious project to cultivate the Sahel region, which separates the dry Sahara Desert in North Africa from the wet savannas in Central Africa.
Growing the Great Green Wall
A collaborative effort spanning the width of Africa is planting a verdant barrier of trees and traditional agriculture to protect the Sahel from desertification.
www.americanscientist.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The Great Green Wall is an ambitious project to cultivate the Sahel region, which separates the dry Sahara Desert in North Africa from the wet savannas in Central Africa.
One thing that can make public discourse feel biased, polarized, or hostile, is our tendency to connect with people who already share our values.
"Wired For This" is now streaming!
open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
"Wired For This" is now streaming!
open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
November 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
One thing that can make public discourse feel biased, polarized, or hostile, is our tendency to connect with people who already share our values.
"Wired For This" is now streaming!
open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
"Wired For This" is now streaming!
open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
We’ve alluded to it already, but digital technology is fundamentally changing how we take in and process information. This is a relatively new field of research, but scientists like Jason have already made some surprising observations.
Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
October 31, 2025 at 10:01 AM
We’ve alluded to it already, but digital technology is fundamentally changing how we take in and process information. This is a relatively new field of research, but scientists like Jason have already made some surprising observations.
Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...
Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/0vPV...