- Culture

- The Sciences

- Psychology

- Astronomy

- Mathematics

- Health

- Arts

- Medicine

- Language

- Sleep

- History

Culture

- Meet Your Plastic Pal: Dec 2025

- Readers Respond to the September 2025 Issue: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Meet Your Plastic Pal

A new generation of household robots could change the way you live

By David M. Ewalt edited by Jeanna Bryner

Scientific American, January 2026

David M. Ewalt is editor in chief of Scientific American.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/meet-your-plastic-pal on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Readers Respond to the September 2025 Issue

Letters to the editors for the September 2025 issue of Scientific American

By Aaron Shattuck

Scientific American, September 2025

Aaron Shattuck is a senior copy editor at Scientific American.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/readers-respond-to-the-september-2025-issue on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

The Sciences

- Science Carries On. Here Are Our Top Topics for 2026: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Science Carries On. Here Are Our Top Topics for 2026

Whether space, health, technology or environment, here are the issues in science that the editors of Scientific American are focusing on for 2026

By The Editors

NASA

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-carries-on-here-are-our-top-topics-for-2026 on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Psychology

- Mondays Really Are More Stressful on the Brain and Body: Sep 2025

- Why ‘Use Your Words’ Can Be Good for Kids’ Health: Aug 2025

SEP 15, 2025, 8:00 AM EDT | ARTICLE SOURCE

Mondays Really Are More Stressful on the Brain and Body

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

By Tarani Chandola & Benjamin Becker edited by Daisy Yuhas & Allison Parshall

Oksana Stepova/Getty Images

Tarani Chandola is a chair professor of medical sociology at the University of Hong Kong. He investigates the social determinants of health, particularly the ways stressful living and working conditions can influence health in later life.

Benjamin Becker is a full professor of psychology and cognitive neuroscience at the University of Hong Kong. He studies how the brain constructs emotion and motivation and how such actions interact with mental health, neuropeptides and new technology, including artificial intelligence.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mondays-really-are-more-stressful-on-the-brain-and-body on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

AUG 12, 2025, 3:00 PM EDT | ARTICLE SOURCE

Why ‘Use Your Words’ Can Be Good for Kids’ Health

Studies show that writing or expressing what we are feeling can help adults mentally and physically. Kids are no different

By J. David Creswell edited by Megha Satyanarayana

nadia_bormotova/Getty Images

J. David Creswell is the William Dietrich II Chair Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University and chief of science at Equa Health. His Health and Human Performance Laboratory studies what makes people resilient under stress, the science of mindfulness meditation training, and wellness.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-use-your-words-can-be-good-for-kids-health on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Astronomy

- Asteroid ‘Families’ Reveal Solar System’s Secret History: Sep 2025

SEP 26, 2025, 6:45 AM EDT | ARTICLE SOURCE

Asteroid ‘Families’ Reveal Hidden Histories and Impact Risks across the Solar System

Many asteroids are related, but their family trees can be hard to trace

By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings & Clara Moskowitz

This illustration shows the creation of an asteroid family. Ejected fragments from catastrophic collisions of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter tend to follow similar orbits around the sun, allowing astronomers to trace their lineage.

Luc Novovitch/Alamy Stock Photo

Phil Plait is a professional astronomer and science communicator in Virginia. His column for Scientific American, The Universe, covers all things space. He writes the Bad Astronomy Newsletter. Follow him online.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/asteroid-families-reveal-solar-systems-secret-history on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Mathematics

- How the CIA’s Kryptos Sculpture Gave Up Its Final Secret: Oct 2025

OCT 22, 2025, 2:30 PM EDT | ARTICLE SOURCE

How the World’s Most Famous Code Was Cracked

Uncovering the CIA’s Kryptos puzzle took three parts math and one part sleuthing

By Jack Murtagh edited by Jeanna Bryner

The Kryptos sculpture sits in front of the CIA headquarters in Virginia.

Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Jack Murtagh is a freelance math writer and puzzle creator. He writes a column on mathematical curiosities for Scientific American and creates daily puzzles for the Morning Brew newsletter. He holds a Ph.D. in theoretical computer science from Harvard University. Follow him on X @JackPMurtagh

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-cias-kryptos-sculpture-gave-up-its-final-secret on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Health

- The Hype behind Expensive Probiotic Supplements: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

The Hype behind Probiotics

Popular supplements with billions of “good” microbes really help only a few illnesses, research shows

By Lydia Denworth edited by Josh Fischman

Jay Bendt

Lydia Denworth is an award-winning science journalist and contributing editor for Scientific American. She is author of Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond (W. W. Norton, 2020) and several other books of popular science.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-hype-behind-expensive-probiotic-supplements on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Arts

- Poem: ‘Large Hadron Collider,’ ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ and ‘Music for the Heat Death of the Universe’: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Poem: ‘Large Hadron Collider,’ ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ and ‘Music for the Heat Death of the Universe’

Science in meter and verse

By Micháel McCormick edited by Dava Sobel & Clara Moskowitz

Masha Foya

Micháel McCormick’s poems and short stories have appeared in more than 80 journals and anthologies. He holds a degree in mathematics and takes inspiration from math and science for much of his work. His debut novel, Gods of Central Park, will be published soon by Foundations Book Publishing.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poem-large-hadron-collider-maxwells-demon-and-music-for-the-heat-death-of on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Medicine

- Nobel Prize Winner Shimon Sakaguchi Reflects on How He Discovered Regulatory T Cells: Oct 2025

OCT 13, 2025, 1:00 PM EDT | ARTICLE SOURCE

Shimon Sakaguchi Reflects on How Hunting for a Mysterious T Cell Earned Him a Nobel Prize

Nobel laureate Shimon Sakaguchi reflects on what role of regulatory T cells have in peripheral immune tolerance and how the cells could transform treatment for cancer, autoimmune disease and organ transplant rejection

By Lauren J. Young edited by Tanya Lewis & Clara Moskowitz

Shideh Ghandeharizadeh

Lauren J. Young is associate editor for health and medicine at Scientific American. She has edited and written stories that tackle a wide range of subjects, including the COVID pandemic, emerging diseases, evolutionary biology and health inequities. Young has nearly a decade of newsroom and science journalism experience. Before joining Scientific American in 2023, she was an associate editor at Popular Science and a digital producer at public radio’s Science Friday. She has appeared as a guest on radio shows, podcasts and stage events. Young has also spoken on panels for the Asian American Journalists Association, American Library Association, NOVA Science Studio and the New York Botanical Garden. Her work has appeared in Scholastic MATH, School Library Journal, IEEE Spectrum, Atlas Obscura and Smithsonian Magazine. Young studied biology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, before pursuing a master’s at New York University’s Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nobel-prize-winner-shimon-sakaguchi-reflects-on-how-he-discovered-regulatory on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Language

- Science Crossword: Pointing South: Dec 2025

DEC 29, 2025, 7:24 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Science Crossword: Pointing South

By Aimee Lucido

Aimee Lucido makes crosswords part-time for several outlets and writes trivia full-time for Bloomberg's news quiz, Pointed. She is also the author of several books for kids, including Emmy in the Key of Code, Recipe for Disaster, and Pasta Pasta Lotsa Pasta. Lucido lives with her husband, daughter and dog in New York.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-crossword-pointing-south on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Sleep

- What Your Sleep Profile Reveals about Your Health: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

Which Sleep Profile Are You? The Answer Shapes Your Health

Psychological data and brain scans show how sleep can improve our lives, our bodies and our relationships

By Clara Moskowitz edited by Jen Christiansen

Jen Christiansen

Clara Moskowitz is chief of reporters at Scientific American, where she covers astronomy, space, physics and mathematics. She has been at Scientific American for more than a decade; previously she worked at Space.com. Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more. She has a bachelor’s degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-your-sleep-profile-reveals-about-your-health on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

History

- January 2026: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago: Dec 2025

DEC 16, 2025, 6:00 AM EST | ARTICLE SOURCE

January 2026: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago

Killer bees; Mars volcanoes

By Mark Fischetti edited by Jeanna Bryner

1976, Mars Volcanoes: “The Tharsis region is the most prominent volcanic region on Mars. This contour map, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, outlines a broad bulge, informally called the Syria Rise, 5,000 kilometers across and seven kilometers high, on which the three shield volcanoes Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons are located. Fractures radiate outward for several thousand kilometers.”

Scientific American, Vol. 234, No. 1; January 1976

Mark Fischetti was a senior editor at Scientific American for nearly 20 years and covered sustainability issues, including climate, environment, energy, and more. He assigned and edited feature articles and news by journalists and scientists and also wrote in those formats. He was founding managing editor of two spin-off magazines: Scientific American Mind and Scientific American Earth 3.0. His 2001 article “Drowning New Orleans” predicted the widespread disaster that a storm like Hurricane Katrina would impose on the city. Fischetti has written as a freelancer for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian and many other outlets. He co-authored the book Weaving the Web with Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, which tells the real story of how the Web was created. He also co-authored The New Killer Diseases with microbiologist Elinor Levy. Fischetti has a physics degree and has twice served as Attaway Fellow in Civic Culture at Centenary College of Louisiana, which awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2021 he received the American Geophysical Union’s Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism. He has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN, the History Channel, NPR News and many radio stations.

This article was downloaded from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/january-2026-science-history-from-50-100-and-150-years-ago on Dec 29, 2025 at 7:24 AM EST.

Table of Contents

Scientific American: January 2026 Vol. 334, Issue 1

Culture

Meet Your Plastic Pal: Dec 2025

Readers Respond to the September 2025 Issue: Dec 2025

The Sciences

Science Carries On. Here Are Our Top Topics for 2026: Dec 2025

Psychology

Mondays Really Are More Stressful on the Brain and Body: Sep 2025

Why ‘Use Your Words’ Can Be Good for Kids’ Health: Aug 2025

Astronomy

Asteroid ‘Families’ Reveal Solar System’s Secret History: Sep 2025

Mathematics

How the CIA’s Kryptos Sculpture Gave Up Its Final Secret: Oct 2025

Health

The Hype behind Expensive Probiotic Supplements: Dec 2025

Arts

Poem: ‘Large Hadron Collider,’ ‘Maxwell’s Demon’ and ‘Music for the Heat Death of the Universe’: Dec 2025

Medicine

Nobel Prize Winner Shimon Sakaguchi Reflects on How He Discovered Regulatory T Cells: Oct 2025

Language

Science Crossword: Pointing South: Dec 2025

Sleep

What Your Sleep Profile Reveals about Your Health: Dec 2025

History

January 2026: Science History from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago: Dec 2025