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Scientific American Magazine - January 2026

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In this issue

A (friendly)
ROBOT INVASION
Can we live alongside intelligent machines?

Saving
Killer Whales

Why Sensory-Deprivation Chambers Work

The Reptile
Sexpocalypse

THE IMPERILED ORCAS OF THE SALISH SEA
The southern resident killer whales are on the brink.
Now the scientists who study them are, too.

FLASHES IN THE NIGHT
Celestial transients shine furiously and briefly.
Astronomers are just beginning to understand them.

Huntington's Hopes

After years of heartbreak, a new treatment slows this devastating disease

4 mins

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE: Ignorosphere Surfers

SCIENTISTS HAVE DEVISED tiny featherweight disks that could float freely in Earth's mesosphere or the thin air of Mars, theoretically even while carrying payloads.

3 mins

Distant Diplomacy

Unrelated species “talk” and understand one another to avoid threats.

2 mins

Distant Diplomacy

Unrelated species “talk” and understand one another to avoid threats

2 mins

Lunar Nursery

A swirl of gas and dust may be a moon-formation zone

2 mins

Tiny Display

An e-paper breakthrough brings extremely high-resolution color

2 mins

Fine-Feathered Snack

A bat's tracker documents a dramatic midair hunt

2 mins

Cable Quakes

Fiber optics that connect the world can detect its earthquakes, too

2 mins

Think Again

Chimpanzees can weigh evidence and update their beliefs like humans do.

3 mins

Static Launch

Tiny worms leap toward their fruit fly hosts with an electric “tractor beam”

3 mins

Fire Stoppers

New tech fights fire with sound

2 mins

The Imperiled Orcas of the Salish Sea

The southern resident killer whales are on the brink. Now the scientists who study them are, too

10+ mins

Flashes in the Night

Celestial transients shine furiously and briefly. Astronomers are just beginning to understand them.

10+ mins

OUR ROBOTIC FUTURE

Will mechanical helpers ever be commonplace at home, at work and beyond?

10+ mins

Signals from Within

Disruptions in interoception, the ability to detect and interpret the body's internal state, may underlie anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and many other psychological ailments

10+ mins

The Reptile Sexpocalypse

The sex of many turtles, crocodilians, and other reptiles is determined by the temperature at which their eggs incubate. Global warming could doom them

10+ mins

A Suite of Killers

Heart ailments, kidney diseases and type 2 diabetes actually may be part of just one condition. It's called CKM syndrome

10+ mins

What's on the Horizon for 2026

These are the science topics that we think will be big this year

6 mins

Mondays Really Are More Stressful

The start of the workweek can be a biologically measurable stressor, with consequences for long-term health that can stretch into retirement

4 mins

Inside Asteroid Family Trees

Asteroid origins can be hard to trace

4 mins

"Use Your Words" Can Be Good for Kids' Health

Writing or expressing feelings can help adults mentally and physically. Kids are no different

5 mins

Cracking the World's Most Famous Code

Solving the CIA's Kryptos puzzle took three parts math and one part sleuthing

6 mins

Probiotic Hope and Hype

Despite their popularity, supplements with billions of \"good\" microbes help only a few illnesses, research shows

3 mins

Behind the Nobel

A 2025 winner reflects on the mysterious T cells that won him the prize

5 mins

A Good Night's Sleep

Psychological data and brain scans show all the ways sleep can improve our lives, our bodies and our relationships

1 mins

Read all Stories from Scientific American

Scientific American Magazine Description:

Publisher: Springer-Nature-America,-Inc

Category: Science

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

Scientific American covers the most important and exciting research, ideas and knowledge in science, health, technology, the environment and society. It is committed to sharing trustworthy knowledge, enhancing our understanding of the world and advancing social justice.