
The World’s First Nuclear Clock Is Finally Ticking
After decades of work, physicists have finally broken into the atom to build the first nuclear clock
Allison Parshall is an associate news editor at Scientific American who often covers biology, health, technology and physics. She edits the magazine's Contributors column and weekly online Science Quizzes. As a multimedia journalist, Parshall contributes to Scientific American's podcast Science Quickly. Her work includes a three-part miniseries on music-making artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Quanta Magazine and Inverse. Parshall graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with a master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Georgetown University. Follow Parshall on X (formerly Twitter) @parshallison
The World’s First Nuclear Clock Is Finally Ticking
After decades of work, physicists have finally broken into the atom to build the first nuclear clock
Wealthier Members of Congress Have Family Links to Slavery
U.S. Senators and Representatives whose family had a history of enslaving others have greater present-day wealth
‘Dark Oxygen’ from Seafloor Deposits Perplexes Researchers
Polymetallic blobs are producing “dark oxygen” from the depths of the ocean—and no one knows exactly how.
Contributors to Scientific American’s September 2024 Issue
Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories
People Are Overdosing on Semaglutide Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy
Dosing errors in the medication semaglutide, prescribed as Wegovy and Ozempic, can cause severe or prolonged gastrointestinal issues that require medical attention
Basic Income Gives Money without Strings. Here’s How People Spend It
Pilot programs across the U.S., including new research funded by OpenAI, offer a glimpse of how a universal basic income could improve lives
‘Dark Oxygen’ Discovered Coming from Mineral Deposits on Deep Seafloor
Baffling new results show that rocklike mineral deposits in the deep sea can produce oxygen
Cleaning Up Paris’s Poop River for the Olympics
The Seine will be the stage for the Paris 2024 Olympics’ Opening Ceremony—and for its marathon swimming events. But this urban waterway is challenging to keep clean.
What’s the Secret behind Ozempic’s Sweeping Health Benefits?
Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs are being investigated as treatments for many health conditions—from dementia to addiction to kidney problems
See Why Everyone Gets the Monty Hall Puzzle Wrong
How to finally wrap your mind around the uniquely counterintuitive Monty Hall dilemma
Sex and Gender Map onto Different Brain Networks in Children
A preliminary study suggests that sex and gender are represented differently in the brain
The Conservation Efforts That Brought Back the Last Truly Wild Horse
Claims that Przewalski’s horses were discovered in the U.S. are unverified. But the conservation story behind the last truly wild horse is worth your time.
The Last Wild Horses Are Finally Returning to Their Natural Habitat
Przewalski’s horses, once extinct in the wild, are revitalizing Kazakhstan’s “Golden Steppe”
Contributors to Scientific American’s July/August 2024 Issue
Writers, artists, photographers and researchers share the stories behind the stories
How Earth Went from a Sterile Rock to a Lush, Living Planet
From microbes to mammoths, life has transformed Earth into one big living system, says Ferris Jabr, author of Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life
How This Real Image Won an AI Photo Competition
Nature still outdoes the machine, says a photographer whose real image won an AI photography competition
What Happens if a Nuclear Weapon Goes Off in Space?
A nuclear explosion in space would cause stunning auroras—and wreak havoc on satellites and space stations.
What Happens if a Nuke Goes Off in Space?
Russia may be planning to put a nuclear weapon in orbit. We have known since the 1960s why that is a bad idea
What Do Google’s AI Answers Cost the Environment?
Google is bringing AI answers to a billion people this year, but generative AI requires much more energy than traditional keyword searches
‘If Not Friend, Why Friend-Shaped?’ A Beary Scientific Investigation
Why are bears both adorable and deadly? Scientific American investigates why these apex predators are “friend-shaped”
We’ve Finally Seen Matter Plunge into a Black Hole
For the first time, scientists observed matter’s free fall into a black hole’s “plunging region”
Microplastics Have Now Been Found in Testicles. How Bad Is That?
Evidence shows microplastics can end up in many different organs and may harm reproductive health
New Folk Song Analysis Finds Similarities around the World
Across the globe, singing traditions are vast and varied. Their commonalities may help explain how music evolved
A Citrus-Scented Cannabis Compound Reduces Anxiety for Weed Users
New research into weed reveals how a lemon-scented terpene can ease anxiety without reducing the high.