Scientific American March 2026

Jul 16, 2026

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March 2026 issue of Scientific American featuring a special report on life in the “copilot society” and the ethics and implications of impersonation and ubiquitous AI. Highlights include research on ancient astronomical objects, polyamory’s cultural and scientific context, Triassic dinosaur footprints, observational tests of special relativity, and analyses of public lands. Additional sections cover industry innovations, mental mapping, science crossword, math and health science, and more.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages88

Reading Time3 h 42 min

AccessFree to download

Black Hole Stars at the Dawn of Time The Truth about Polyamory Life in the AgeofAI The promise and peril of artiﬁcial intelligence everywhere MARCH 2026 SCIENTIFICAMERICAN.COM © 2026 Scientific American Ronny Karpel/Alamy CONTENTS MARCH 2026 VOLUME 334, NUMBER 3 60 SPECIAL REPORT 24 LIVING IN THE COPILOT SOCIETY 27 WHEN CARE BECOMES CODE BY HILKE SCHELLMANN 33 THE AGE OF IMPERSONATION BY ERIC SULLIVAN PROFILES BY DENI ELLIS BÉCHARD ON THE COVER In just a few short years artiﬁcial intelligence has gone from chatbot to background infrastructure, shaping how we work, learn, heal, move, vote and create—often without our noticing. Analysts estimate AI spending hit $1.8 trillion last year alone. Illustration by Tavis Coburn FEATURES ASTRONOMY 36 LITTLE RED DOTS Astronomers are racing to understand mysterious ancient objects that pepper images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. BY REBECCA BOYLE PSYCHOLOGY 44 EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT POLYAMORY (BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK) The practice isnot a faddish excuse to sleep around, research shows. And it has deep roots in American culture. BY REBECCA J. LESTER PALEONTOLOGY 50 TRIASSIC PARK A newfound site in the Italian Alps holds one of the largest collections of Triassic dinosaur footprints ever seen. BY HUMBERTO BASILIO PHYSICS 54 RELATIVITY REVEALED Physicists have observed a bizarre prediction of special relativity for the ﬁrst time. BY VICTORIA HELM, THOMAS JUFFMANN AND PETER SCHATTSCHNEIDER CONSERVATION 60 THE TRUE WORTH OF AMERICA’S PUBLIC LANDS Social-ecological analyses reveal who will win and who will lose in the pushto put federal land into private hands. BY KYLE MANLEY MARCH 2 0 2 6 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. COM 1 © 2026 Scientific American CONTENTS MARCH 2026 VOLUME 334, NUMBER 3 3 FROM THE EDITOR 4 LETTERS 6 ADVANCES Evidence of ﬁremaking 35,000 years earlier than thought. Oneof the largest spinning space structures ever spotted. The keys to worldclass excellence. An axolotl regrowth record. 20 INDUSTRY Swedish inventors are unlocking a solar future for the windswept north. BY DENI ELLIS BÉCHARD 68 MIND MATTERS Mental mapmaking is the secret to social success. BY ORIEL FELDMANHALL 71 SCIENCE CROSSWORD Inspired by the stories in this issue. BY AIMEE LUCIDO 72 MATH A mathematical theorem helps one professor out of a socially awkward jam. BY JACK MURTAGH 74 Q&A An investigation into rivers and the rights of nature. BY ANDREA GAWRYLEWSKI 76 THE SCIENCE OF HEALTH Taking care of an ill or elderly relative leads to physical sickness, but scientists are working on resilience strategies. BY LYDIA DENWORTH 79 METER The poetry of how ice shapes mountains. BY CHRIS BULLARD 80 THE UNIVERSE Inside the universe’s weirdest optical illusions. BY PHIL PLAIT 82 GRAPHIC SCIENCE Moving to walkable cities signiﬁcantly boosts daily steps. BY EVE LU 84 HISTORY BY

Jul 16, 2026

Upload by Oliver