Sarah Lewin Frasier
@sarahexplains.bsky.social
Senior News Editor at Scientific American
For about a century, the only way we really had to spot wildfires early on was people in fire towers with surveying tools. (My grandfather was one of them.) Now technology may finally make it easier to spot fires faster and in more remote areas. 🧪 (by @krcallaway.bsky.social)
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 2w agoThe best way to stop the destruction from wildfires is to spot them before they can grow out of control. It's also the most difficult.
See thread—and you should also hire the amazing @tanyalewis.bsky.social, whose thoughtful writing and sharp editing on the health+medicine beat has been hugely important through the past several years of chaotic medical news.
Tanya Lewis@tanyalewis.bsky.social · last mo.Please hire my brilliant former Scientific American colleagues! @meghanbartels.bsky.social is an excellent all-around reporter. If you need someone with expertise in space, life sciences, charismatic megafauna/microfauna, reproductive rights and more, she’s your gal.
I got another bingo for @sciam.bsky.social summer reading! Forgot to log the first one but here's the second: 🎧 To Be Taught, If Fortunate 🧪 The Best Science Stories and How They Work 🌞 Free Space! 📖 Almost everything I've read so far ❤️ The Mimicking of Known Successes #SciAmSummerReading
I recently found a tick on my body and didn't know what to do. I went into journalist mode to find out. Here's what I learned about how to manage tick bites, with illustrations of the tick species that cause diseases in humans by Diogo Guerra and maps of where they occur by @jenchristiansen.com 🧪
Bitten by a tick? Don’t panic—do this
Knowing what kind of tick bit you and where you got it can help inform next steps
scientificamerican.com
It was great to talk to @myphysicsjourney.bsky.social about his path into science and the weird self-organizing blobs he studies that perform crucial roles inside cells. Congrats to this year's #SciAmYoungScientists!
Trevor GrandPre@myphysicsjourney.bsky.social · 2mo agoI’m honored to be selected as one of Scientific American’s inaugural Young American Scientists, a recognition of 28 early-career researchers whose work is shaping the future of science. My interview is here: www.scientificamerican.com/article/trev... #SciAmYoungScientists @sciam.bsky.social
Meet our inaugural class of Young American Scientists: 28 researchers who are redefining the future of science. sciam.com/youngscientists
Can't wait to read The Best Science Stories and How They Work (www.theopennotebook.com/the-best-sci...) edited by @siricarpenter.bsky.social, whose initials happen to be on the periodic table—square 7 in @sciam.bsky.social's summer reading challenge!
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe first-ever Scientific American Summer Reading Challenge is here! 📚☀️ All summer long, we’re reading nonfiction deep dives, page-turning thrillers, and fiction that sparks scientific curiosity. (1/2) #SciAmReading #SciAmSummerReading
Another incredible interview by @sarahexplains.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social this time with qntm, author of There Is No Antimemetics Division 😱 📚🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
This sci-fi novel asks—can what you will never know kill you?
There Is No Antimemetics Division explores how to survive when memories and meaning are malleable
scientificamerican.com
My cover story for the June issue of @sciam.bsky.social is up! I went on a quest to separate out hype from reality in quantum computing, and this was the result.
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 3mo agoFrom the new issue: Will computers based on quantum physics really change the world?
a convo i would love to have me: what do you do for a living? i collect bird vom in my freezer. cool. i just have popsicles in mine @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/poop...
Peering into Earth’s climate past is getting ever more bizarre
Earth's ancient climate is written in... ostrich eggshells and stomach oil?
scientificamerican.com
As biologist M. Picard wrote in the June 2025 issue of Scientific American, “Mitochondria communicate, both within their own cells and among other cells, reaching out to support one another in times of need and generally helping the community flourish.” We’re proud to help @sciam.bsky.social thrive!
Can't believe it's already the last week of #AutismAcceptanceMonth! Celebrating by re-upping this piece that @parshallison.bsky.social and I worked on for the April issue of @sciam.bsky.social. 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
Don’t sleep on SciAm games!!
Leah@leah.myatproto.social · 4mo agoI subscribe and you should too. This is a deal! Did you know that @sciam.bsky.social offers games, way better games than wordle, you don't need to give your money to nytimes when better games are right there made for and by your fellow nerds. #ScienceSky 🧪
Best day of the month is @sciam.bsky.social books group meeting!! @breezybrik.bsky.social @clarakm.bsky.social @allonsyjeni.bsky.social and many more :)
Hey Bluesky! 👋🦋 We’ve been reading your replies about our paywall, and we’re listening. We want to share why it’s there—and an easy, low-cost way to read more. TL;DR: You can unlock every Scientific American article for 90 days for just $1 spklr.io/6003EyRIR More context below 🧵 1/6
🌎 NASA's Artemis II mission has splashed down and all four astronauts are reported safe, bringing an end to a stunning flight around the moon. www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
I somehow missed until recently that James S. A. Corey's latest scifi series had begun, even though we're nearly two books and a novella in. Don't make the same mistake I did! I chatted with the authors for @sciam.bsky.social and learned some cool stuff: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Does this illusion work on you? Lmk!! My latest for @sciam.bsky.social ! Thank you Hinnerk Schulz-Hildebrandt, Jenny Bosten, @akiyoshikitaoka.bsky.social, and @mamassian.bsky.social for offering your input! And as always, the lovely @parshallison.bsky.social for editing!
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 5mo agoAn optical illusion with nine simple dots reveals a surprising amount about the eye and brain
For 20 years, this computational linguistics competition has inspired new generations of innovators in AI and language preservation
Can you solve these language puzzles? Test your skills with these problems from North America’s biggest linguistics competition
For 20 years, this computational linguistics competition has inspired new generations of innovators in AI and language preservation
scientificamerican.com
Our latest issue of @sciam.bsky.social is out today! I was excited to feature @katewong.bsky.social's delightful story on Veronika the cow's tool use in our Advances section—if you haven't seen it yet, give it a read here: www.scientificamerican.com/article/firs...
Meet Veronika, the first cow known to engage in flexible, multipurpose tool use
A pet cow named Veronika uses a tool in a surprisingly sophisticated way—possibly because she has been allowed to live her best life
scientificamerican.com
Thanks @dodecalemma.bsky.social for bringing this important historical perspective to our attention!
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 5mo agoIn 1905, Scientific American dismissed the pie-making machine because the pies were “too perfect.” 🥧 This Pi Day, we’ll concede they may have been a little…irrational about pie machines, but never about the mathematical constant π. #PiDay
We know it isn't Pi Day quite yet, but you can start your celebrations early with our favorite pi(e) content from recent years here:
The Science of Pi
The number pi emerges from one of the simplest, most symmetric shapes, yet it gives rise to endless complexity. This Pi Day, find out about some of the fascinating places pi pops up and the burning qu...
scientificamerican.com
How you do arithmetic could say a lot about your demographics and problem solving skills! Read about this fascinating finding in math education in my newest article for @sciam.bsky.social 🧮✨ And build your skills with my accompanying math puzzle! www.scientificamerican.com/game/math-pu... #mathsky
A clever math shortcut could reveal your problem-solving superpower
Mental math shortcuts suggest future STEM performance—and gender is a significant predictor
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 agoOn the cover of our new issue--will brain science deliver answers about consciousness or hit another wall?
We assumed that chunks in Roman cement were the mark of poor mixing. Turns out they're the key to the self-healing properties that have made the cement so durable. 🧪 (By @humbertobasilio.bsky.social)
Scientific American@sciam.bsky.social · 8mo agoAncient Roman cement has stood for centuries and is much more durable than its modern equivalent. Now we know why.
In 2015 a powerful new book about sudden changes to the moon and their far-reaching consequences for Earth and society as we know it hit the shelves—and science fiction author @scalzi.com, who’d been considering what would happen if the moon unexpectedly turned to cheese, shelved his idea for a bit:
What If the Moon Were Cheese? John Scalzi’s Latest Book Has the Answer
Scientific American talks to the author of When the Moon Hits Your Eye, one of our best fiction picks for 2025
scientificamerican.com
If you need some holiday reading or gifting ideas, the @sciam.bsky.social staff read a bunch of books we really liked this year:
The Scientific American Staff’s Favorite Books of 2025
Here are the 67 books Scientific American staffers couldn’t put down this year, from fantasy epics to gripping nonfiction
scientificamerican.com
I'm here to tell you that my primary profession of being a shit poster is no more. I recently started (temporarily) hosting the Science Quickly podcast for @feltman.bsky.social while she's out on leave. Here is Rachel and I discussing the most important scientific subject on earth: Mayo
Why Science Quickly’s Interim Host Kendra Pierre-Louis Hates Mayo—And What It Reveals about Food Psychology
Kendra Pierre-Louis steps in as interim host and dives into the science behind why some foods—especially mayonnaise—can gross us out.
scientificamerican.com
Heck, I'd take a two-bedroom at 1,080 square feet.
Humberto Basilio@humbertobasilio.bsky.social · 9mo agoScientists found the world’s largest spiderweb inside a sulfur cave on the Albania–Greece border. It’s about half the size of a tennis court—or, you know, a pretty decent studio apartment in Manhattan 🕷️ 🕸️ My story for @sciam.bsky.social 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/worl...
