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Readers respond to the May 2026 issue
Letters to the editors for the May 2026 issue of Scientific American
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Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.
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What if we never find dark matter?
Could the hunt for the universe’s missing matter be the biggest wild goose chase in scientific history?
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Google DeepMind wants Gemini to power many different robots
The company’s push into physical AI is putting Gemini inside humanoids—and testing whether its intelligence can survive in the real world
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See how gravitational waves warp time and space
The latest gravitational-wave discoveries include record-breaking cataclysms
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Are darker egg yolks really healthier?
Deep-orange yolks could have a slight health benefit, but it’s easy for producers to fake it
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The questions science may never answer
Will some of the biggest mysteries in science remain forever unsolved?
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October 2026: Science history from 50, 100 and 150 years ago
Smallpox eradication; skyscraper excavations; research on the racetrack
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How apple detectives solved the mystery of an ancient tree—and rewrote the history of fruit
And how they might have helped save the future of American apples
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Science crossword: Broken thoughts
Play this crossword inspired by the October 2026 issue of Scientific American
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What if ‘consciousness’ isn’t real?
Our understanding of consciousness could be fundamentally wrong
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What are the smallest pieces of the universe?
Physicists are searching for what lies underneath the particles we know
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Finding meaning in the impossible
Some questions may never be answered, but maybe that’s not the point
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Will we ever know how life began?
Scientists disagree on how biology got started and on whether we can ever know for sure
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Why we love unexplainable mysteries
The biggest questions in science inspire us even when we lack answers
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Nearly 10,000 patients reveal what works best for knee arthritis pain relief
A major analysis of 139 clinical trials involving nearly 10,000 people suggests that some of the simplest treatments may work best for knee osteoarthritis. Knee braces ranked highest overall for reducing pain, stiffness, and mobility problems, while water-based therapy was especially effective for pain and regular exercise consistently improved both pain and physical function. More high-tech approaches, including ultrasound, generally performed worse.
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Tiny cell “antennas” may help explain why some babies are born with heart defects
A newly discovered communication system in the microscopic “antennae” of cells may help explain how some congenital heart defects develop. When genetic mutations disrupt this system, the effects may extend beyond the heart to organs including the brain, kidneys, and skeleton.
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Plague was killing entire families thousands of years before the Black Death
Ancient DNA reveals that plague was already killing hunter-gatherers in Siberia 5,500 years ago, long before cities and flea-driven epidemics. The prehistoric strains may have been especially dangerous because they carried a genetic factor capable of provoking severe immune reactions.
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A coral reef thought dead for 60 years is teeming with life
More than 60 years after surveys suggested a deep coral reef off Benin was probably dead, scientists have found it alive. Cameras revealed healthy-looking coral patches supporting multiple fish species more than 50 meters beneath the surface. The discovery suggests West Africa’s coastal waters may contain other overlooked reefs that have yet to be documented.