“NASA reveals new problems with Artemis II rocket, further delaying launch.”
Views expressed in this science, space, and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Accessed on 22 February 2026, 0021 UTC.
Content and Source: “Scientific American Content.” Source provided by email subscription from https://feedly.com.
https://feedly.com/i/subscription/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciam.com%2Fxml%2Fsciam.xml
Please check subscription link or scroll down to read your selections. Thanks for joining us today.
Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.com).
68
Most popular
Just a day after NASA set a March 6 target date for its upcoming moon mission, the agency’s head announced it will roll back the rocket from the pad entirely
A satellite captured a recent “ring of fire” eclipse from a stunning new angle
11h
As Anthropic releases its most autonomous agents yet, a mounting clash with the military reveals the impossible choice between global scaling and a “safety first” ethos
Today
Isomorphic Lab’s proprietary drug-discovery model is a major advance, but scientists developing open-source tools are left guessing how to achieve similar results
Yesterday
The FDA is reportedly considering broadening the types of drugs that can be sold without a prescription, a move some pharmacy experts say could raise safety risks
On Thursday the U.S. president ordered the release of federal files related to UFOs and aliens, although no evidence of extraterrestrials visiting Earth is known to exist
Mercury pollution from coal plants has been tied to serious neurological problems, especially in children and babies
After completing a second “wet dress rehearsal” of its upcoming moon mission, NASA said it is targeting a March 6 launch date for Artemis II
Researchers have rediscovered a 77-year-old recording of a haunting song that now has been determined to have come from a humpback whale
1d
How big would a telescope need to be to see Earth’s dinosaurs from 66 million light-years away? Think big—and then think bigger
1d
The reason we slip and slide on ice—a phenomenon central to figure skating, curling and other Winter Olympic events—is a centuries-old physics mystery that may have finally been cracked
Feb 19, 2026
On Thursday NASA leadership outlined how 2024’s glitch-plagued Boeing Starliner mission jeopardized astronaut welfare and the space agency’s culture of safety and accountability
A Microsoft Research study suggests glass blocks etched with lasers could provide enduring data archives
2d
Newborn chicks connect sounds with shapes just like humans, suggesting deep evolutionary roots of the “bouba-kiki” effect
Researchers sequenced the genomes of tumors from almost 500 domestic cats and found remarkable parallels with human and dog cancers
Spinosaurus mirabilis was a force to be reckoned with
A study published today helps explain how “planetesimals”—the building blocks of planets—came to be
2d
This gravity-defying machine appears to work much like a ground-based wind turbine—but in the air
A new study pinpoints two species of bacteria that work together to dry out the lining of the gut and cause constipation
Tests that could reveal when Alzheimer’s disease will emerge, while promising, are not ready for use in otherwise healthy people, scientists say
Feb 18, 2026
Record warmth followed by a huge snowfall led to the recent avalanche that killed at least eight skiers
Scientists have captured footage of a sleeper shark farther south than ever before, suggesting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is not shark-free
3d
A new Brooklyn, N.Y. high-rise sits atop 320 geothermal boreholes. It’s a feat of waterfront engineering—and one blueprint for decarbonizing the North American skyline
New research on African striped mice found that the caregiving instinct may be rooted in a specific gene
3d
Vomit is gross—but 290-million-year-old vomit is a scientific marvel
Medical and environmental groups are challenging the EPA’s decision to break with the long-standing scientific evidence that climate change endangers human health
After initially rejecting Moderna’s application for review, the FDA will now consider the company’s mRNA flu shot
The recent withdrawal of Hims & Hers’ GLP-1 pill raises questions about the safety and effectiveness of compounded medications
3d
Putting humans and LLMs head-to-head in classic tests of judgment from human psychology underscores the differences between them
3d
VO₂ max is an important measure of aerobic conditioning, whether you’re an Olympian or just a person hoping to stay healthy
3d
How AI‑powered “smart home” technologies could improve safety and ease caregiver burden for people with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia
3d
Below the surface, Greenland’s ice appears to be churning up, a process one scientist described as akin to a “boiling pot of pasta”
Feb 17, 2026
4d
What happens when your body suddenly stops making the one hormone that keeps your blood sugar in check?
Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website, a Nature investigation finds
4d
In 2024 extreme rain and floods hit the Spanish region of Valencia, killing more than 230 people in the country. Now a new study shows climate change made it even worse
4d
NASA will attempt a second “wet dress rehearsal” and simulated launch of its upcoming moon mission on Thursday
A stunning “ring of fire” eclipse was totally visible to a lucky few in the Southern Hemisphere. Here’s how to see the next one
4d
Gabriel Gomes built an agent that turns plain English into physical experiments, enabling research that humans alone could never sustain
4d
A newfound site in the Italian Alps holds one of the largest collections of Triassic dinosaur footprints ever seen
4d
From the exam room to the classroom, artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool—it’s infrastructure. An introduction to our special report on life in the age of AI.
4d
Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper James Webb Space Telescope images
4d
When a patient shared the story of her sister’s death, an AI captured the clinical details—freeing physician Christopher Sharp to just be present
4d
Researchers found that walkable city design—not personal motivation—was the key factor behind people taking 1,100 more steps per day
4d
Digital forensics pioneer Hany Farid explains what it will take to rebuild trust in the deepfake era
4d
When alerts misfire or can’t explain themselves, nurses still carry the risk
4d
George Pólya’s random walk theorem absolved him of being a lurker and revealed how the laws of chance interact with physical space
4d
Joseph McMullen uses AI to sort through terabytes of evidence, freeing him to focus on what the machines can’t find: the human story
4d
An environmental scientist’s analysis reveals who will win and who will lose in the push to put federal land into private hands
4d
Play this crossword inspired by the March 2026 issue of Scientific American
4d
Veteran teacher Jen Roberts explains why generative tools are more than just a platform for cheating—they’re a way to make classrooms fairer and more human
4d
Transdisciplinary artist Stephanie Dinkins challenges us to rethink what we feed our machines—and asks what AI might become if it were trained on care
4d
An anthropologist’s detailed research shows polyamorists focus on intimacy and honesty, not sleeping around
4d
People who help sick, aging loved ones are at risk for physical illness themselves. There may be ways to improve their resilience
4d
Letters to the editors for the November 2025 issue of Scientific American
Physicists have observed the bizarre Terrell-Penrose effect in real life