Scientific American April 2026

Jul 17, 2026

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Scientific American April 2026 issue covering ecology, social science, astrophysics, evolution, and special reports on kidney disease. Key features include pristine alpine lakes turning green from algal blooms, young people doing better than expected, dwarf galaxies lacking dark matter, and research into the corpse flower’s unusual traits. Additional sections address solar storms, ultraprocessed foods, sensory perception, nuclear waste recycling, math and health topics, and more.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages102

Reading Time4 h 17 min

AccessFree to download

The Truth about Kids Today The Weirdest Flower on Earth Why Are Alpine Lakes Turning Green? Missing dark matter presents a cosmic conundrum APRIL 2026 SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM © 2026 Scientific American CONTENTS APRIL 2026 VOLUME 334, NUMBER 4 Lettering by Angela Southern, Photograph by Arthur Dries/ Getty Images Illustration by Chad Hagen ON THE COVER (NEWSSTAND) Adults often worry about“kids these days,” afraid that today’s younger generations are worse off than those of the past. But the reality is different in many ways. Today’s kids show more empathy, willpower, open-mindedness, and other positive traits than earlier generations, and youth drug use, violence and teen pregnancies are down. ON THE COVER (SUBSCRIBER) Invisible dark matter, ubiquitous in the universe, is thought to be essential for holding galaxies together. But astronomers have discovered several strange galaxies that seem to lack dark matter altogether. Their existence presentsa cosmic mystery. FEATURES ECOLOGY 26 SOMETHING IN THE WATER Pristine alpine lakes are being choked by algal blooms. The culprit isin the air. BY CODY COTTIER SOCIAL SCIENCE 36 THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Young people are doing better than you think. BY MELINDA WENNER MOYER ASTROPHYSICS 42 A GALACTIC MYSTERY Dwarf galaxies without dark matter present a cosmic conundrum. BY MARIA LUÍSA BUZZO EVOLUTION 50 THE STRANGEST BLOOM Research revealshow the corpse ﬂower came by its peculiar traits. BY JACOB S. SUISSA 26 SPECIAL REPORT S1 INNOVATIONS IN KIDNEY DISEASE S3 THE BURDEN RISES S4 WHAT IS KIDNEY DISEASE? BY NOW MEDICAL STUDIOS AND JEN CHRISTIANSEN S6 LIFE ON THE EDGE BY CHARLOTTE HUFF S11 RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF PREGNANCY BY CASSANDRA WILLYARD S14 A DOSE OF PREVENTION BY JYOTI MADHUSOODANAN S17 STOPPING AN AUTOIMMUNE ATTACK BY CHARLES SCHMIDT S20 KIDNEYS GET THE DIABETES TREATMENT BY TARA HAELLE Photograph by Matt Nager APRIL 2 0 2 6 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. COM 1 © 2026 Scientific American CONTENTS APRIL 2026 VOLUME 334, NUMBER 4 4 FROM THE EDITOR 6 LETTERS 8 ADVANCES Veronika the cow’s advanced tool use.“Catching”fear from a robot. Groundbreaking artiﬁcial lungs. Ancient telephone-pole-size organisms. 22 INDUSTRY A new model aims to predict the solar storms threatening our tech. BY SARAH SCOLES 59 Q&A The perils of ultraprocessed foods. BY LAUREN J. YOUNG 61 MIND MATTERS What tickling can tellus about our sense of touch. BY KONSTANTINA KILTENI 62 THE SCIENCE OF WAR The military case for recycling nuclear waste. BY SARAH SCOLES 65 SCIENCE CROSSWORD Inspired by the stories in this issue. BY AIMEE LUCIDO 66 MATH Ponderinga mathematical fallacy that has surprising implications for real-world situations. BY JACK MURTAGH 68 THE SCIENCE OF HEALTH Can testosterone supplements boost women’s sex drive safely? BY LYDIA DENWORTH 71 METER Limericks show the lighter

Jul 17, 2026

Upload by Asher