Marcel Proust so famously wrote of the rush of memories invoked by smelling and eating a madeleine cake that the phenomenon of scent-induced nostalgia became known as "Proust's madeleine." Now neuroscientists have figured out how it works in the brain.

Neuroscientists pinpoint how smells bring back childhood memories

Smell can bring back vivid childhood memories—the so-called “Proust’s madeleine” phenomenon—and neuroscientists now think they know why

scientificamerican.com

In late June, Springer Nature sold Scientific American to LabX Media. I have since decided to step out of my role as a senior graphics editor for the magazine :: #sciart 📊 🧪 :: 🧵 [1/7]

Come take my Science Quiz! I have a ton of fun writing these every week -- share your score in the comments

Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Happy Friday! Test your knowledge of recent science news with our weekly quiz and let us know how you do

Scientific American spoke to one of the people who are currently being monitored for possible hantavirus infection at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska--here's his story

“I could be in this room for 42 days and literally not get to breathe fresh air.” What it’s like quarantining for hantavirus

Scientific American spoke to one of the people who are currently being monitored for possible hantavirus infection at the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska

scientificamerican.com

The filmmaker behind the newly released movie Silent Friend shares the scientific and historical inspiration for its story of botanical consciousness

Can plants have consciousness? The film Silent Friend reimagines the science

The filmmaker behind the newly released movie Silent Friend shares the scientific and historical inspiration for its story of botanical consciousness

scientificamerican.com

Hantavirus misinformation is spreading fast. COVID trauma and social media algorithms may be to blame

How to arm yourself against hantavirus misinformation

Hantavirus misinformation is spreading fast. COVID trauma and social media algorithms may be to blame

scientificamerican.com

At SciAm, we've been covering the hantavirus outbreak since it began: www.scientificamerican.com/hantavirus/. As we continue our reporting, we want to know--what questions you do you have about the virus, the outbreak, and what it means for public health?

Several teams appeared to spend the second half of the U.S. professional basketball season losing games on purpose for a better chance at a high draft pick. New ideas propose to fix this incentive problem

Tanking is ruining NBA basketball. Can math save it?

Several teams appeared to spend the second half of the U.S. professional basketball season losing games on purpose for a better chance at a high draft pick. New ideas propose to fix this incentive pro...

scientificamerican.com

Thank you to @sciam.bsky.social for letting me dig into the protein enhancement fad. 1. If you are an elite athlete, OR elderly/frail, maybe you do need extra protein. 2. That's not you. You're not an elite athlete. 3. If it is you: consider yogurt. www.scientificamerican.com/article/prot...

Are protein-boosted foods and drinks actually more healthy?

Extra protein can be found in everything now, from potato chips to Pop-Tarts. Does this benefit the average eater?

scientificamerican.com

Come hangout with me and these amazing panelists at @greenlightbklyn.bsky.social June 1st 7:30pm 📚🧪 @sciam.bsky.social will be kicking off our first-ever Summer Reading Challenge 💫 www.eventbrite.com/e/scientific...

Scientific American Nonfiction Panel: Summer Reading Launch!

Scientific American launches their Summer Reading Challenge with a new nonfiction panel, highlighting some of the season's best releases!

eventbrite.com

Just in case you missed it over the weekend, here's my thoughts for @sciam.bsky.social about how the Artemis II mission is, at its core, a reminder of why we love the moon. www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...

Artemis II reveals why humans still love the moon

The triumph of NASA’s first crewed lunar mission in a half-century is a reminder of what the moon really means for Earth—and why we’re going back

scientificamerican.com

Hello, Bluesky! We, the staff of Scientific American, are pleased to announce we have formed a union with @wgaeast.bsky.social. Just as mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, we are the powerhouse of the publication, and we’re excited to have a new way to contribute to its success.

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Have you been feeling "moon joy" about NASA's Artemis II lunar mission? If so, you might want to hang onto it as long as possible, because it seems to be rather good for you. By @parshallison.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

‘Moon joy’ and the overview effect—how views from space change us

Artemis II’s views from space trigger a special type of awe. Psychologists suggest holding onto it

scientificamerican.com

This is Sadie. She was finally reunited with her human, astronaut Christina Koch, after her mom’s voyage around the moon took her the furthest any human has ever been from their dog. She can't wait to hear all about the universe. 14/10 (IG: astro_christina)

A new study of AI sycophancy shows how asking agreeable chatbots for advice can change your behavior

AITA? AI won’t tell you, and it’s affecting behavior and relationships

A new study of AI sycophancy shows how asking agreeable chatbots for advice can change your behavior

scientificamerican.com

Excited to share this piece by @parshallison.bsky.social and me in the April issue of @sciam.bsky.social. This is my fav type of #dataviz challenge: tackling a concept that is complex, fascinating, and that I haven’t seen represented in this way before. 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

What 39 traits reveal about the autism spectrum

The autism spectrum is big, vibrant and complicated, a new graphic of 39 traits shows

scientificamerican.com

People often talk about the autism spectrum as if it's a simple sliding scale from "more autistic" to "less." This isn't true — the spectrum is dizzyingly complex, and @unamandita.bsky.social and I set out to visualize this in SciAm's April issue: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

What 39 traits reveal about the autism spectrum

The autism spectrum is big, vibrant and complicated, a new graphic of 39 traits shows

scientificamerican.com

As we get ready to watch Ilia Malinin skate, please read this fascinating piece by my colleague @parshallison.bsky.social about how the self-appointed Quad God is able to do what he does. And how figure skaters have been able to land progressively more difficult jumps. ⛸️ 🧪

How the ‘Quad God’ cracked a seemingly impossible jump

How do figure skaters like Ilia Malinin keep landing harder and harder jumps?

scientificamerican.com

Got kind of obsessed with Connor Storrie's accent in Heated Rivalry so me and @parshallison.bsky.social interviewed the show's dialect coach

Science Quickly

Science Quickly brings you fresh discoveries and cutting-edge science stories. Host Rachel Feltman unpacks complex ideas with clarity, making it easy to stay informed and inspired—no science backgroun...

scientificamerican.com

My feature is on the cover of @sciam.bsky.social !! This is one of the more fascinating, maddening, mind-boggling stories I've reported in a long time. Please come on this journey with me.

Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 7mo ago

On the cover of our new issue--will brain science deliver answers about consciousness or hit another wall?

Lost in the Stock Figuring out what’s actually in a box of chicken stock shouldn’t be that hard. Right? www.eater.com/23552129/wha... --> A wonderful look at the reality of reporting, as well as a insightful plunge into the abyss of Big Food. Answers all your questions about canned broth.

What’s in Store-Bought Chicken Stock, and Why Are Brands so Secretive About It?

A long, winding journey to find out why companies treat their chicken broth recipes like state secrets.

eater.com

It's been thought since the early 70s that eukaryotes (basically any life with a cell nucleus) wouldn't survive above 62C and no complex life had been shown living above 60C. Until the "fire amoeba"... 🧪 (These are some of my favorite stories to write, just weird neat stuff we're learning.)

This Tiny ‘Fire Amoeba’ Just Redefined Life’s Limits

It was thought that complex cells couldn’t survive above a certain temperature, but a tiny amoeba has proven that assumption wrong

scientificamerican.com

Happy Halloween 🦇🦇🦇 Horror movie music can be deeply unsettling. Here's how composers achieve that effect www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-... 🧪

Why Horror Movie Music Sends a Chill Up Your Spine

Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge

scientificamerican.com

Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge

Why Horror Movie Music Sends a Chill Up Your Spine

Horror movie composers use musical tricks to hijack your nervous system and put you on edge

scientificamerican.com

A special class of immune proteins protect us from pathogens but also drive inflammation and cell death

Cells Have a Death Switch That Protects Us from Viruses but Also Leads to Aging

A special class of immune proteins protect us from pathogens but also drive inflammation and cell death

scientificamerican.com

On today's @sciam.bsky.social science quiz, we've got space shuttles and cryptography puzzles. Share your score below! 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/game/scienti...

Your brain gets used to wrongdoing. It can also get used to doing good

How to Train Your Brain to Act Morally

Your brain gets used to wrongdoing. It can also get used to doing good

scientificamerican.com

Congratulations to bicyclists: you're one of the most efficient movers in the animal kingdom! 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike

A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom

scientificamerican.com

We used @sciam.bsky.social's 180th anniversary as an excuse to revisit an old favorite. Familiar with the efficiency of locomotion chart from the March 1973 issue? Here it is again, reimagined for 2025 by DTAN Studio, w/text by @parshallison.bsky.social 📊 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike

A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom

scientificamerican.com

Steve Jobs loved this original @sciam.bsky.social graphic and cited it constantly in interviews, calling computers "bicycles of the mind" for how they let us operate with max efficiency. Turns out, though, bikes are so efficient because they make us more like... fish? Check it out 🧪

Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 10mo ago

A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom