Genetic Testing Is a Gift. But It Shouldn’t be a Present
A few years ago, a patient of mine—let's call her Pandora—purchased four DNA testing kits as holiday gifts for herself and her siblings. She had seen the TV ads promising that a few ounces of spit would uncover otherwise unattainable details about her family’s origins, and she thought it would be fun to share this
9 Space Images from NASA and Beyond That Stunned in 2024
The end of 2024 is approaching, marking another full loop around the sun for our planet. So Scientific American is here to celebrate with nine of our favorite space-related images from the year. In case you’ve lost track, 2024 was filled with a host of exploration milestones, groundbreaking science and stunning sky displays that are
Carbon Dioxide Ice Turns Martian Polar Region White
Planetary scientists using the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft have captured stunning images of an enigmatic landscape in the Australe Scopuli region of the Red Planet’s southern hemisphere. Frosty scene in the Australe Scopuli region at the south pole of Mars. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin. “Here, swirls
U.S. Has a First Case of Severe Bird Flu, CDC Confirms in H5N1 Update
December 18, 2024 3 min read Louisiana reported a person hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1, and the USDA has begun bulk milk testing By Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with severe H5N1 influenza after having contact with sick backyard birds. The virus is similar to
Hotter White Dwarfs are Slightly Puffier than Cooler Ones, New Study Says
Using a catalog of 26,041 white dwarfs observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers have confirmed a long-predicted effect in these ancient ultradense stars. Concept art of two white dwarfs with the same mass but different temperatures; the hotter star (left) is slightly puffier, while the cooler star (right) is more compact. Image credit:
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