What's on the Horizon for 2026

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

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THE EDITORS of Scientific American look to 2026 as a chance to peer into the future to see what science may be unfolding and what discoveries may lurk on the horizon. But the new year is also a chance to look back at recent turmoil and instability in federally funded scientific research, the wholesale dismissal of evidence in policymaking, and—in spite of these things—the perseverance of people working in the scientific enterprise. We celebrate the fact-checkers in the field of knowledge and you, our readers, who continue to trust us to bring you what’s real, what’s factual and what’s amazing in our world. Here are some of the topics we are paying attention to in 2026.

Nuclear Energy The coming year in the U.S. will be pivotal in the renewed push to use more nuclear power. This drive results largely from the energy requirements of the artificial-intelligence boom. Demand for nuclear power has largely been flat in this century, eclipsed by interest in wind, solar and natural gas. Moves in Congress—notably, a 2024 law streamlining reactor licensing—and actions by both the Biden and Trump administrations to push exports and arrange financing aim to reverse the trend. Advanced technology demonstrations supported by the U.S. Department of Energy may start to come to fruition. But loosened export regulations and favored technologies raise questions about safety, nuclear waste disposal and the risks of nuclear proliferation. Projections of spiraling energy demand for AI drive the nuclear push, despite warnings of an AI bubble that might burst, dragging down the entire economy.