Archives: Scientific American

Quantum Tunneling Makes DNA More Unstable
The freaky physics phenomenon of quantum tunneling may mutate genes

JWST’s First Glimpses of Early Galaxies Could Break Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images of the distant universe shocked astronomers. Is the discovery of unimaginably distant galaxies a mirage, or a revolution?

Black Hole Discovery Helps to Explain Quantum Nature of the Cosmos
New insights from black hole research may elucidate the cosmological event horizon

How to Fix Quantum Computing Bugs
The same physics that makes quantum computers powerful also makes them finicky. New techniques aim to correct errors faster than they can build up

Tiny Flier ‘Swims’ through the Air at Superspeed
A speck-sized beetle overturns assumptions about flight mechanics

How Migrating Birds Use Quantum Effects to Navigate
New research hints at the biophysical underpinnings of their ability to use Earth’s magnetic field lines to find their way to their breeding and wintering grounds

How a Virus Exposed the Myth of Rugged Individualism
Humans evolved to be interdependent, not self-sufficient

Synthetic Enamel Could Make Teeth Stronger and Smarter
Scientists say that the new material is even more durable than real dental enamel

U.S. and Chinese Scientists Propose Bold New Missions beyond the Solar System
Independent concepts from each nation envision launching high-speed spacecraft on aspirational multigenerational voyages into the great unknown of interstellar space

Prehistoric Volcanoes Heated Earth in a Global Chain Reaction
New evidence suggests an origin to an exceptionally hot period in Earth’s history