Publishing award-winning science, tech, engineering, & math content for over a century. Join us for daily stories.https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mm7l334ouf2pMost religions have a creation story, but by comparison, the Big Bang theory is a fairly new scientific idea, with evidence of leftover radiation from the Big Bang discovered only in the 1960s. https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/in-the-beginning-there-was-light19 May 2026 14:11 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm7l334ouf2phttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mji6kw236t24The FIFA World Cup occurs every four years, and each tournament uses a newly designed football that has unique flight characteristics. Cover image by Ben Kirshner.14 Apr 2026 20:06 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mji6kw236t24https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlvpz2jetk2nWe're live on YouTube with a replay of our Science by the Slice talk series. Join us now! https://youtu.be/FdQ4W6QEmoY?si=C2oHLut0UTXMHA_k15 May 2026 16:13 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlvpz2jetk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlvgwqf65g22Fossils of early penguin species reveal the myriad paths these birds took from the sky to the sea, and from temperate New Zealand to the frozen Antarctic. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/diversity-from-isolation15 May 2026 13:31 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlvgwqf65g22https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlsylspvab2jMedical proof of radioactive health effects on the women who painted these clock and watch dials changed the way that worker safety was enforced and regulated. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-peril-beneath-the-glow14 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlsylspvab2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlnxnxcpxf2zMicrogrids, which are local energy networks, could power communities when fire risk is high, reducing the need for electricity to pass through long power lines over dry terrain. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/pulling-the-plug-on-climate-change-wildfires12 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnxnxcpxf2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mllh6ygrj72wThe activity level of skeletal muscle modulates a range of genes that produce dramatic molecular changes—and keep us healthy. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/exercise-controls-gene-expression11 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllh6ygrj72whttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mleo7mp6vw2pScientists use mathematical descriptions and simulations to make forecasts and provide recommendations to decision makers, but how reliable are these models? https://www.americanscientist.org/article/in-models-we-trust%E2%80%94but-first-validate08 May 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mleo7mp6vw2phttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mldvs7yyjo25Bone anatomy varies widely, depending on where animals live their lives. https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/from-the-staff/thick-skulls08 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mldvs7yyjo25https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlc5yeobnb2wThe discovery of thousands of planets orbiting other stars has given us three surprising insights about our Solar System. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/sculpting-our-planetary-system07 May 2026 21:30 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlc5yeobnb2whttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mlbfdcgwaw2zA trip through the Solar System would not be complete without visiting these out-of-this-world locales. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/space-tourism07 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbfdcgwaw2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3ml7nbrthay22Tiny recording backpacks reveal fringe-lipped bats’ surprising hunting style, which minimizes effort while maximizing success. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/small-predator-big-strategy06 May 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7nbrthay22https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3ml6uues55y2lCollapsed objects weighing millions or billions of times as much as the Sun lie at the heart of nearly all galaxies. New images are finally stripping the mystery from these spheres of warped space. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/on-the-trail-of-monster-black-holes06 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6uues55y2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3ml54suqu322w👩‍🚀 Whether you love astronomy, dark skies, spaceflight, or space history, there’s something for everyone on this list. https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/books-about-space-that-are-out-of-this-world05 May 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml54suqu322whttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3ml4efhr4zv2uGeological evidence suggests that rivers such as the Red River of the North once flowed south into the Mississippi River, forming a vast continental watershed. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-ancient-mississippi-river%E2%80%99s-return05 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4efhr4zv2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3ml2mdx75tu25May the Force be with you, always. 🖖 Although they have not yet been found, Earthlike worlds with two suns most likely exist https://www.americanscientist.org/article/binary-stars-with-habitable-planets04 May 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2mdx75tu25https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mkps2ucufj27Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a leading cosmologist and a scholar who occupies dual faculty roles in the University of New Hampshire’s physics and women’s and gender studies departments.30 Apr 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkps2ucufj27https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mkljkgsh3u2xShaking and slowness of movement may be the most obvious symptoms, but they are often not the most debilitating ones. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-neglected-side-of-parkinsons-disease28 Apr 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkljkgsh3u2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mkkr4znvdo22Call it football, fútbol, calcio, or soccer, there is some striking science behind the Beautiful Game and its sophisticated sphere. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/balls-in-the-air28 Apr 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkkr4znvdo22https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mkiz3ii5w32pResearch impact is no longer measured in prestige publications, but in successfully producing patents, licenses, partnerships, spin-offs, and technology transfer pipelines. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/rethinking-research-impact27 Apr 2026 21:26 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkiz3ii5w32phttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mk66sfpqxn2xUnless people are mycologists or foragers, or the rare kind of person inclined to slow down and really pay attention, fungi remain invisible. When mushrooms appear, they are often treated as something out of place, such as weird growths or suspicious-looking blobs; things to step around and ignore. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/what-lies-beneath23 Apr 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk66sfpqxn2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mjz5ulfauu25In his quest to “make poetry visible, ” Belgian artist and surrealist René Magritte painted impossible and contradictory scenes that purposely violate the rules of 3D space. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-mind-and-the-mirror21 Apr 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjz5ulfauu25https://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mjp3ywp4772oParkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, currently affecting around 0.1 percent of the population and rising to 3 percent of those over the age of 65. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/what-parkinsons-reveals-about-the-artistic-spark17 Apr 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjp3ywp4772ohttps://bsky.app/profile/americanscientist.org/post/3mjmjfeyprg2wA recent book explores geology through the lenses of science, history, and culture. Read more of Isabel F. Barton's review of UNDER THE METAL SKY: A Journey through Minerals, Greed, and Wonder: https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/science-culture/minerals-and-myths16 Apr 2026 13:30 +0000at://did:plc:d6z5jg6dx7q3ei5vj6ea56ct/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmjfeyprg2w