"Can quantum computers solve math's hardest problem?"

Views expressed in this science, space, and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 06 August 2026, 1507 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencemonitor.blogspot.com).

Scientific American Content

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48

Today

Can quantum computers solve math’s hardest problem?

43min

A million-dollar math mystery may someday be resolved in a physics lab. A new study brings this vision one step closer.

U.S. lawmakers vote to hold Biden's former medical advisor Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress

Rand Paul attacks Fauci

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43min

Fauci previously served as the chief medical officer to President Joe Biden and led the U.S. COVID pandemic response effort

U.S. approves Moderna's mRNA vaccine for flu—the first of its kind

Moderna mRNA flu vaccine approved

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43min

The flu shot, mFlusiva, was shown in a clinical trial to be up to 27 percent more effective than a standard flu jab

Urban landscapes can boost storms—or break them up

3h

New work shows how different storm types are shifted by cities’ microclimates

The Scientific American guide to 2026’s total solar eclipse

3h

Here’s everything you need to know about this eclipse, from the weather to the best viewing locations

Yesterday

Trump CDC pick Erica Schwartz confirmed to lead nation’s top public health agency

Senate advances Schwartz CDC nomination

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17h

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t had a full-time leader in almost a year

Elon Musk reveals SpaceX plans to build satellite factories on the moon

SpaceX plans moon robot factories

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20h

Musk outlined his vision to investors after SpaceX posted a $542-million loss from its space launch sector in its first quarter as a public company

Neanderthal genes may give modern humans’ muscles a boost

Neanderthal gene increases muscle mass

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23h

Most of the world’s population carries at least a little Neanderthal DNA

Scientists discover a ‘skinny gene’ mutation that acts like Ozempic

23h

One in 7,000 people carry this gene mutation

Spectacular images reveal never-before-seen whirlpools on the sun

Inouye telescope reveals sun whirlpools

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23h

Strange whirlpools of plasma seen in the sharpest images ever captured of our star help explain the deep origins of Earth-threatening space weather and more

How living near mountain lions might actually make you safer

Pumas reduce deer vehicle collisions

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23h

Mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas) make roads safer by scaring deer and elk that can cause collisions with cars into more remote areas

Mathematicians make a breakthrough on Gauss’s riddle, unsolved for 200 years

1d

A solution to part of the Cohen-Lenstra conjecture helps resolve a long-standing mystery about quadratic forms

YouTube star Simone Giertz has some life and science lessons to share with you

1d

The Swedish engineer influencer has spent over a decade on YouTube growing a loyal audience of over 2.5 million followers, but for her, the journey was all about living a less typical life in science.

Psilocybin could kick-start anorexia recovery, early results suggest

Psilocybin aids anorexia recovery

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1d

An active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin has shown early promise for treating eating disorders

Aug 4, 2026

La Brea Tar Pits disgorge rare ice age toad

1d

This marks only the second extinct ice age amphibian found in North America—and it gives researchers vital information about the ancient climate

Wormholes could be the key to time travel

1d

Wormholes are one way that physicists have imagined traveling into the past. But if something gets there, is it physically possible to change anything?

Newly discovered carnivorous plant is as deceptive as it is deadly

Alpine Saxifraga confirmed carnivorous

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1d

Charles Darwin predicted in 1875 that some members of the Saxifraga genus could be carnivorous—now scientists have finally proven him right

Project backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos aims to save 100 critically endangered species

Bezos Earth Fund species project

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1d

This billionaire-backed fund is dedicating $200 million to preserve animals and even plants that are facing extinction around the world

A SpaceX rocket is about to hit the moon—these videos show what could happen

SpaceX rocket to hit Moon

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2d

Astronomers’ simulations predict what this lunar impact—and its aftermath—will look like

Washington’s wildfires are a warning for the entire U.S.

Wildfires force Spokane evacuations

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2d

Dry conditions and climate change are putting forests across the country at risk for disaster

An Ichthyosaur’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day 160 million years ago

2d

A rare fossil find shows a tooth embedded an ichthyosaur’s vertebra, where it was likely left when a giant pliosaurid chomped down on this dolphin-resembling reptile

Aug 3, 2026

The U.S. military needs tungsten, but pristine NASA site may stand in the way

2d

A unique landform is vital for calibrating NASA’s satellites, but it’s likely sitting atop a vast deposit of this heavy metal, which is crucial for making munitions

It’s 90 degrees in the Arctic right now

2d

The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet. New data illustrate how dire that is

Cyclospora outbreak tied to two deaths as parasite-borne illness continues to rage

Cyclospora outbreak sickens thousands

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2d

These deaths were reported by Michigan, which has seen more than 11,000 cases of cyclosporiasis emerge since late June

Senate funding resolution seeks to put OMB rule changes to research grants on hold

Senate delays grant rule funding

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2d

These proposed changes have seen significant bipartisan pushback and have been criticized by scientists across disciplines

How Antarctica’s Blood Falls came to be

Blood Falls harbors marine life

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2d

The bright, red-orange stain on Antarctica’s ice-covered landscape may trace back to ancient oceans

Daddy long legs perform fellatio—and other wild facts about how these arachnids mate

3d

Some female daddy longlegs will perform fellatio, perhaps to avoid potential violence from males, while males of another species entice females with a secretion on their penises

Cyclosporiasis cases surge while new research questions ‘protein maxxing’

3d