Sam Macdonald

Kilometers below the ocean’s surface, Earth’s seafloors are on the move. Across a massive network of underwater mountain chains known as mid-ocean ridges, tectonic plates slowly pull apart, belching molten rock at the spreading seams. As this lava cools, ... See more

It seems that NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is an overachiever. When NASA launched TESS in 2018, the satellite had one job: watch nearby stars for the tiny dips in brightness caused by planets passing in front of them. It has done th... See more

The universe has a flair for the unlikely. In 2020, astronomers found something baffling: A gas giant planet called WD 1856b, orbiting the burned-out core of a dead, sun-like star. And in a new study published today in Nature, researchers report an even w... See more

If you’re reading this on your phone, your device is almost certainly leaving a record of where it has been. Those records can reveal where you live and work, the restaurants you frequent, the medical offices or houses of worship you visit—and even which ... See more

How to spot an AI-generated face, according to science Training people to pay attention to the right visual cues nearly doubled how accurately they could spot AI-generated faces Scientific American Follow Sam Macdonald Mon, June 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC Ad... See more