Scientific AmericanHow the Grand Canyon formed is a surprisingly messy story. Here's the latest clueA new study suggests a proto–Colorado River filled a large basin before spilling westward to set the Grand Canyon’s modern pathApr 16, 2026
Scientific AmericanElizabeth Roboz Einstein—the determined genius behind a multiple sclerosis breakthroughA Hungarian refugee who came to the U.S. with nothing but a diploma made a breakthrough discovery in the burgeoning field of neurochemistryApr 16, 2026
Scientific AmericanAstronomers just finished the biggest, sharpest 3D map of the universe—and it’s beautifulA new map of the cosmos, including more than 47 million galaxies and other cosmic objects, represents one of the most extensive surveys of our universe ever conductedApr 16, 2026
PsyPostChildren with ADHD report applying less effort on cognitive tasks compared to their peersA recent study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders suggests that children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder perceive their own effort on cognitive tasks differently than their neurotypical peers. Specifically,...Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyOne of the Universe’s Largest Stars May Be Getting Ready To ExplodeA massive star’s sudden transformation may signal an approaching supernova. One of the largest stars ever discovered has undergone a dramatic transformation, and scientists believe it may be nearing a violent end. New research led by...Apr 16, 2026
Discover Magazine (Pay Wall)Rivers in the Sky Fuel Devastating Floods – but May Be More Predictable Than ExpectedLearn what atmospheric rivers are, and why they could be predictable, helping us prepare for devastating storms and floods.Apr 16, 2026
Singularity HubIndustries Most Exposed to AI Are Not Only Seeing Productivity Gains but Jobs and Wage Growth TooNew technologies rarely leave work untouched. They also rarely eliminate the need for human contribution altogether. Forecasts of the impact of artificial intelligence range from the apocalyptic to the utopian. An October 2025 report from...Apr 16, 2026
Science NewsA strange ‘neutrino force’ helped heal a crack in particle physicsA neglected force produced by neutrinos and other particles helps atomic physics measurements align with predictions of the standard model.Apr 16, 2026
NASA Breaking NewsNASA Invites Media to Latvia Artemis Accords Signing CeremonyCredit: NASA The Republic of Latvia will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9 a.m. EDT Monday, April 20, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman will host Dace Melbārde, Latvia’s minister for...Apr 16, 2026
Popular ScienceRobots can’t replace guide dogsOn paper, few physical jobs seem as ripe for AI takeover as that of the loyal service dog. These four-legged assistants undergo years of intensive (and expensive) training to help people with vision loss or other physical impairments...Apr 16, 2026
Universe TodayThe Moon Might Be More Prone To FiresEngineers love a good practical challenge, especially when it comes to spaceflight. But there’s one particular challenge facing the crewed missions of the near future that scares mission planners above almost all others - fire. For...Apr 16, 2026
The GuardianChris Walton obituaryMy friend and colleague Chris Walton, who has died aged 69 of brain cancer, was a biologist and lecturer at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire. He had a passion for getting things to work in the real world; consequently he was widely...Apr 16, 2026
Discover Magazine (Pay Wall)How To See Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune’s Planetary Parade This April 2026Learn how to view the upcoming April 2026 planetary parade, including Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune.Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyScientists Discover Enzyme That Could Supercharge Ozempic-Like Weight Loss DrugsResearchers have identified a versatile enzyme capable of reshaping peptide-based drugs into more stable, longer-lasting forms. Chemistry researchers at the University of Utah have identified an enzyme called PapB that can “tie off”...Apr 16, 2026
Science NewsA new measurement reveals gravity is still hard to pin downAfter a 10-year effort, physicists got a value for “Big G” that does not settle the debate over one of nature’s hardest numbers to nail down.Apr 16, 2026
PsyPostCan psychedelics help trauma survivors reconnect intimately?Researchers examining the intimate lives of trauma survivors have found that psychedelics have varied effects on communication and emotional connection during sexual encounters. A recent global analysis indicated that women who associated...Apr 16, 2026
Scientific AmericanSecrets of cosmic evolution may lurk in this black hole’s ‘dancing’ jetsA first-of-its-kind observation shows how jets from voracious black holes can shape the growth of galaxiesApr 16, 2026
Scientific AmericanEffect of antiamyloid Alzheimer’s drugs ‘absent or trivial,’ Cochrane review findsThese drugs were hailed by proponents as breakthroughs in the fight to treat Alzheimer’s disease, but a new independent review finds they make “no meaningful difference”Apr 16, 2026
Scientific American10 dinosaur science books recommended by a paleontologistSteve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, recommends 10 dinosaur books to dig intoApr 16, 2026
Scientific AmericanHow far from humanity were the astronauts of Artemis II? The answer will surprise youArtemis II’s crew went farther from humanity than anyone has been before. Here’s how one scientist determined whom, specifically, they were farthest fromApr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyWhy Promising Cancer Drugs Failed: Scientists Uncover the Missing PieceA new study helps explain why a promising class of cancer drugs has often failed to meet expectations in clinical trials. For more than ten years, researchers have tested a group of cancer drugs known as BET inhibitors with high hopes. The...Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyAsthma and Depression Don’t Mix the Way Scientists ExpectedDepressive symptoms are common in people with asthma, but increasing evidence suggests they may be driven by biological processes that differ from those seen in major depressive disorder. Researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan,...Apr 16, 2026
Science NewsThis tree is number one for cloud forest mammals going number twoThe strangler fig is a keystone species in the tropics, providing food and shelter, and a place to poop for 17 different mammal species.Apr 16, 2026
Chemistry WorldIn-situ electron microscopy probes how atoms adsorb on surfaces at solid–liquid interfacesTechnique could offer new insight into materials like catalysts, batteries and fuel cellsApr 16, 2026
Discover Magazine (Pay Wall)A “Uniquely Sucky Specimen,” This Smashed 205-Million-Year-Old Skull Demonstrates Early Dinosaur DiversityLearn more about the “folded” fossil of Ptychotherates bucculentus, from one of the first families of carnivorous dinosaurs.Apr 16, 2026
NASA Breaking NewsAt the Edge of LightNASA In this photo taken on April 6, 2026, a portion of the Moon’s far side is seen along the terminator—the boundary between lunar day and night—where low-angle sunlight casts long shadows across the surface. A section of Orientale Basin...Apr 16, 2026
Ars TechnicaMeet the Quantum KidScientists are often advised to explain their work in terms that a child can understand—a task that is particularly challenging when it comes to such complex topics as quantum mechanics. It's easier when the interviewer is an actual child,...Apr 16, 2026
The GuardianRed hair gene favoured by natural selection over last 10,000 years, study findsScientists suggest red hair and fair skin were favoured for vitamin D efficiency in study focused on whether human evolution plateaued after advent of agriculture People with red hair who have put up with teasing or “fiery” stereotypes may...Apr 16, 2026
Universe TodayWhy NASA’s Cheapest Missions Produce the Least ScienceTo say NASA has been undergoing some massive administrative changes lately is a huge understatement. One of the more concerning ones, according to a new paper at the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference by Ari Koeppel and Casey...Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyPopular Sweetener Linked to DNA Damage – “It’s Something You Should Not Be Eating”A common artificial sweetener may have more complex biological effects than previously thought. A widely used artificial sweetener may not be as biologically “inert” as once believed. Research has raised concerns that a little-known...Apr 16, 2026
PsyPostCannabinoid use is linked to both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects, massive review findsA new systematic review published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity suggests that using cannabinoids does not have a single, straightforward effect on the human immune system. Instead, regular use tends to be associated with concurrent...Apr 16, 2026
Popular ScienceYes, your lobster dinner probably died an excruciating deathWhen it’s time to cook a lobster, the crustaceans are infamously boiled alive. While one can safely assume that such an end would be excruciating for a human, crustaceans’ capacity for feeling pain is a bit vague. The picture is slowly...Apr 16, 2026
Science BlogA Hidden Protein Keeps Skin Cells from Losing Their Identity. When It Vanishes, Cancer SpreadsEvery cell in your body knows what it is. A skin cell knows it is a skin cell; it sits in its proper layer, does its proper job, and does not wander. That identity is not fixed like a birthmark, though. It is actively maintained,...Apr 16, 2026
Science BlogWhy Your Bee Sting and a Pencil Share the Same ShapeTake a sharpened pencil and look at the tip. Not a vague glance. Really look, under a magnifying glass if you have one. What you’ll find isn’t a perfect cone ending in a mathematical point. It curves. The sides sweep inward in a gentle arc...Apr 16, 2026
New Scientist (Pay Wall)Our dreams become more emotive and symbolic as we approach deathTerminally ill people are commonly reunited with lost loved ones in their dreams and have visions of doors, stairways and light, which are said to help them accept the dying processApr 16, 2026
MIT Technology ReviewThe Download: cyberscammers’ banking bypasses, and carbon removal troublesThis is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Cyberscammers are bypassing banks’ security with illicit tools sold on Telegram Inside a...Apr 16, 2026
MIT Technology ReviewTreating enterprise AI as an operating layerThere’s a fault line running through enterprise AI, and it’s not the one getting the most attention. The public conversation still tracks foundation models and benchmarks — GPT versus Gemini, reasoning scores, and marginal capability...Apr 16, 2026
MIT Technology ReviewMaking AI operational in constrained public sector environmentsThe AI boom has hit across industries, and public sector organizations are facing pressure to accelerate adoption. At the same time, government institutions face distinct constraints around security, governance, and operations that set...Apr 16, 2026
Discover Magazine (Pay Wall)Ethiopia’s Afar Rift Reveals How Humans Lived — and Died — 100,000 Years AgoLearn more about the ancient remains of three Homo sapiens and how they may have died in the Afar Rift of Ethiopia. Apr 16, 2026
MIT Technology ReviewWhy having “humans in the loop” in an AI war is an illusionThe availability of artificial intelligence for use in warfare is at the center of a legal battle between Anthropic and the Pentagon. This debate has become urgent, with AI playing a bigger role than ever before in the current conflict...Apr 16, 2026
New Scientist (Pay Wall)How to spot the Lyrid meteor shower tonightThe Lyrid meteor shower will soon hit its peak. Here's how to spot it, including by using the New Scientist stargazing companionApr 16, 2026
PsyPostNew psychology study links relationship insecurity to the pursuit of wealth and statusA series of six studies spanning 5 countries found that inducing attachment anxiety increases the desire for high-status cars and houses in both men and women. Increasing or decreasing intrasexual competition enhanced or reduced this...Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyAncient “Rock” Microbes May Reveal How Complex Life BeganHidden within ancient microbial structures, scientists have uncovered a partnership that may mirror one of life’s most transformative moments, the emergence of complex cells. Stromatolites may look like unremarkable, dark rock formations,...Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyHidden “Trade Winds” Inside Cells Could Explain Cancer SpreadCells have their own hidden “wind system” that rapidly moves proteins and could change cancer research. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have identified a previously unknown system inside cells that works like internal...Apr 16, 2026
Smithsonian MagazineAncient Humans Mastered Fire. Now, Burning Fossil Fuels and Blazing Landscapes Threaten to ‘Undo the World’Intensifying wildfires across the continent are spewing air pollution, putting human health at risk, particularly Americans living with chronic illnessesApr 16, 2026
Chemistry WorldUK government unveils five-year plan to boost country’s nuclear fusion industryOfficials hope this will help the UK maintain its leading position in the fieldApr 16, 2026
Wired ScienceThis Beanie Is Designed to Read Your ThoughtsCalifornia-based startup Sabi is developing a thought-to-text wearable that could usher in the cyborg future.Apr 16, 2026
The GuardianIn the footsteps of Linnaeus: scientists share their passion for species from tiny wasps to hairy plants – in picturesFor his project ‘De Oförtrutna’ (The Relentless), photographer Christer Björkman pictured Swedish scientists working in the spirit of Carl Linnaeus, the botanist who created the modern taxonomic system that classifies organisms based on...Apr 16, 2026
NPR ScienceHow seals' whiskers make them master underwater huntersTheir sensitive facial hair may be the harbor seals superpower for tracking fish, scientists are learning. (Image credit: Robin Heinrich/Marine Science Center)Apr 16, 2026
SciTech DailyHumans Owe Their Eyes to a Tiny One-Eyed “Cyclops”A single ancient eye may explain how modern vision and the pineal gland evolved in vertebrates. Humans carry a surprising relic from deep evolutionary history, one that traces back to a tiny, one-eyed ancestor that lived nearly 600 million...Apr 16, 2026
