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How We Chose the 2026 Young American Scientists
Scientific American used expert recommendations and data analysis to identify 28 exceptional early-career researchers. In late 2025 we asked the world’s top researchers a simple question: Who are the best, most promising early-career scientists working in
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‘Baby Brain’ Is Real. 3 Things to Know About What’s Happening to Your Brain
… Cognitive neuroscientist Laura Pritschet, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, is fascinated by how female hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, affect the brain’s organization and functioning. “The
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Hitting the Curiosity Sweet Spot Speeds Up Learning
The world is full of things to learn. Where to start? How to choose what to pay attention to? What motivates someone to seek new knowledge? We’re often curious in a particular way: we want
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From “Hot” and “Cold” Cognition to New Directions in Cognitive Science
In her first column, APS President Randi Martin makes the case for collaborative research that cuts across research areas.
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Does Psychology Need More Effective Suspicion Probes?
Suspicion probes are meant to inform researchers about how participants’ beliefs may have influenced the outcome of a study, but it remains unclear what these unverified probes are really measuring or how they are currently being used.
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Feeling Lonely? Your Brain May Process the World Differently
The U.S. is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. For a lot of people, the feeling is even more pronounced during the holidays. In addition to the emotional impact of chronic loneliness, it has some
