Sign in

Adam Kovac

@adamjkovac.bsky.social
446 followers 234 following 306 posts

Breaking news reporter at Scientific American. Guitar nut. Opinions are mine and rarely shared with you folks, unless they're about hockey. Got scoop tips? akovac.14 on Signal.

PostsRepliesMedia
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 3h
All eyes are on the Michigan Senate seat race. I spoke to @abdulelsayed.bsky.social about how his science background influences his policies, how he'd implement Medicare for All, and what the MAHA movement gets right. www.scientificamerican.com/article/demo...
scientificamerican.com
Abdul El-Sayed explains how science influences his politics
Scientific American spoke to the Michigan Senate candidate about how his background in medicine has shaped his outlook
031
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It's tradition to throw candy at the kid during the religious portion of a bar/bat mitzvah and these were the go to. Which is great, because they're soft, and your 13 year old jerk friends would really try and which them at you. Keeping them in production is a boon for public safety.
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Boeing's Starliner is getting another shot. After a disastrous first crewed mission in 2024 that left two astronauts stuck on the ISS for 286 days, an uncrewed mission could launch as soon as December, and the ship could carry humans once more in 2028. www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
scientificamerican.com
NASA looks ahead to Boeing Starliner tests as it tries to overcome the spacecraft's troubles
Starliner hasn't flown since its failed 2024 mission left two astronauts aboard the International Space Station for 286 days
001
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I messed up my algorithm so you don't have to. A number of influencers are recommending garlic fermented in honey as a homemade antiviral and antibacterial. There's only one problem: this cure-all could give you botulism. www.scientificamerican.com/article/tikt...
scientificamerican.com
TikTok influencers are promoting a home remedy to boost the immune system that could cause botulism
No, fermenting garlic in honey is not a replacement for antibiotic or antiviral meds
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
During her confirmation hearing to lead the FDA, Heidi Overton said Trump is wrong on a number of things, from MMR shots killing kids to Tylenol causing autism. But she refused to ever actually say the president is wrong about anything. www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump's FDA nominee Heidi Overton affirms MMR vaccine and mifepristone are safe at crucial Senate hearing
Heidi Overton also said at the hearing on Thursday that Tylenol does not cause autism
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Also, if you want a little light crude reading (heh, oil joke), here's an explainer on why diesel prices are so high. While much of it is due to economics and the wars in Ukraine and Iran, some of it is down to chemistry. www.scientificamerican.com/article/dies...
scientificamerican.com
Diesel fuel prices are rising—chemistry can help explain why
Diesel prices have almost doubled over the past year, spelling trouble for farmers, truckers and the entire U.S. economy
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Senate hearing for FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton. First question from Sen. Cassidy is on vaccines. Overton distances herself from Trump, says MMR is not lethal, is safe and effective.
160
Reposted by Adam Kovac
Claire Cameron @clairehcameron.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Call for pitches! @sciam.bsky.social is commissioning stories of all lengths on all areas of science, but in particular I'd love to hear from journalists with enterprising or newsy stories in: health; mind and brain; technology; and archaeology. claire.cameron@sciam.com, no PR please!
6159
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If you want to read more about what Trump had to say about AI and climate change, my article is now up at @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump rejects AI regulation, citing parallels with climate change in UN address
The president also said artificial intelligence should be rebranded as "super intelligence"
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Last week, Pres. Trump polled Truth Social on whether to rebrand AI as "superior" "extreme" or "supreme" intelligence. During a UN speech, he went with none of the above saying, the government will rebrand all AI as "super intelligence." He also rejected any global regulation of the tech.
101
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
You may have heard about OpenAI solving a $1 million math problem. Sounds like a big deal, and it is! But while the equation is commonly used in engineering, nobody expects anything to really change, at least immediately. www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...
scientificamerican.com
What does OpenAI’s fluid-dynamics breakthrough mean for real-world engineering?
OpenAI’s claimed proof of the Navier-Stokes problem is a mathematical tour de force, but any real-world applications may be years away—if they ever arrive at all
053
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see... not much. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is powering up and caught its first photons of cosmic light, but turning it on is way more complicated than flipping a switch. Still, it's an exciting step! www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
scientificamerican.com
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope glimpses its first cosmic light
The space telescope is set to reveal thousands of new exoplanets and scour the universe for signs of dark matter and energy
020
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Radiologist and Fox News personality Nicole Saphier praised MMR and hep. b vaccines during a confirmation hearing, a stance that appears to be at odds with the president and RFK Jr. www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump's surgeon general nominee praises MMR, hepatitis B vaccines at Senate hearing
Both the president and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. have made numerous false claims about the vaccines' efficacy and safety
010
Reposted by Adam Kovac
Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The new print version of the October Scientific American is now out! My regular column ("The Universe"), about the fate of the moon, is in there. 😁 www.scientificamerican.com/issue/sa/202...
scientificamerican.com
Scientific American Volume 335, Issue 3
"The questions science may never answer", "Will we ever know how life began?", "Can humans live forever?" and more
1364
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
ICYMI: Pres. Trump's EPA pulled back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Power plants are the largest stationary source of emissions in the U.S. and climate scientists say this could have huge impacts on global warming. www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump repeals emissions regulations of fossil-fuel power plants
The reversal of a Biden-era cap on emissions from the plants could have devastating effects in efforts to stop climate change
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The El Nino in the Pacific is shaping up to be one of the most devastating in living memory. Look at Indonesia, where the weather pattern has led to intense droughts that allow wildfires to spread. That, in turn, has led to 100,000 people getting sick. www.scientificamerican.com/article/el-n...
scientificamerican.com
El Niño fuels wildfires in Indonesia, sickening some 100,000 people
The fires are burning peatlands, which can release more particulate matter into the air than other wildfires
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Today in cosmic events that are hard to wrap your head around: in 2022, a photon hit Earth that had no business being here. Physicists think they've finally figured out how it got here without being destroyed. www.scientificamerican.com/article/this...
scientificamerican.com
This cosmic particle was never meant to reach Earth. Now, scientists think they finally know why it did
In 2022, researchers detected a very odd photon from an enormous gamma ray burst that should have been destroyed on its way to Earth
001
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I hate paywalls and my pay cheque depends on them. They suck! But they’re also necessary until someone comes up with a better idea. (Don’t say online ads. They aren’t the banana stand, there’s no money in them.)
110
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
It's the best part of the science year - the Ig Nobels have been handed out! Come for the cockroach milk, stay for the scientists who taunted poisonous snakes or buried 1,000 pairs of underpants. www.scientificamerican.com/article/2026...
scientificamerican.com
2026 Ig Nobels honor cockroach milk, interspecies kissing, taunting venomous snakes and more
The silliest science awards of the year are here, but the Ig Nobels aren’t just funny business
021
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Good morning, the U.N. has now said there's no chance of avoiding the 1.5 C warming threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Enjoy your day! www.scientificamerican.com/article/un-a...
scientificamerican.com
U.N. admits exceeding 1.5-degree-Celsius global warming target is ‘unavoidable’
The world is set to blow past the Paris Agreement’s longtime threshold “within the next few years,” according to a new report
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
There's a weird decagon-shaped wave in the atmosphere at Saturn's south pole, and nobody is sure how it got there. The wave was imaged by Hubble and scientists are now puzzling over how it formed. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scie...
scientificamerican.com
Scientists discover a mysterious wave shaped like a decagon in Saturn's atmosphere
The strange structure appears to have formed recently, but nobody can explain exactly why
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
It's unclear if the CDC will be doing any kind of vaccination awareness campaign ahead of flu season. Also unclear if they'll be doing the Vaccines for Children program, which provides shots for kids in families that can't afford them.
110
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
There's so many questions that remain, but this is incredible.
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My taste in media isn't particularly refined. Give me a good John Wick movie and I'm a happy boy, so I'm very hyped about Grand Theft Auto VI. When it releases in November, it seems unlikely there will be much moral panic, unlike previous releases. www.scientificamerican.com/article/gta-...
scientificamerican.com
GTA has always raised anxieties over video games and violence—here’s what the science actually says
The evidence in favor of and against video games promoting aggressive behavior is murkier than you might think
100
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The government may be taking UAPs seriously, but that doesn't mean the average American is: just under half say UFOs are likely explainable by human or natural activity. But that's significantly lower than just a few years ago. www.scientificamerican.com/article/more...
scientificamerican.com
More Americans believe the government is withholding information about UFOs
According to new research, more Americans also think they have seen a UFO now than in the past 50 years
100
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Meta has reached a nearly $18 billion settlement with dozens of states in a case that alleged the company knowingly rolled out features that were harmful to children. www.scientificamerican.com/article/meta...
scientificamerican.com
Meta to pay $18 billion and make sweeping app changes to settle social media harms lawsuit
Meta agreed to implement new safety measures, including a default two-hour daily limit for using Facebook and Instagram, for users under the age of 18
110
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
One of the last Americans everyone could agree on. This blows.
030
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A clip of Trump's pick to lead the FDA has been going around in which she calls for "conservative-based" research. In the full interview, she says the left creates journals like the Journal of Adolescent Transgender Medicine. No such publication exists. www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-a...
scientificamerican.com
In a 2023 interview, Trump’s FDA new pick laid out a vision for "conservative-based" science
In a 2023 podcast interview, Heidi Overton called for the creation of "alternative systems" for publishing research that backed conservative policy
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
On a completely different note, I spent Friday and Saturday at the Montreal stop of the revitalized Warped Tour. Scientists should have been on hand to study the impact of nostalgia, pop punk, sunshine and beer on the bodies of millennials.
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
On August 23, 1966, the uncrewed Lunar Orbiter 1 took the first ever picture of Earth from the moon. It was a landmark image, albeit one that was quickly overshadowed by Apollo 8's iconic Earthrise. www.scientificamerican.com/article/60-y...
scientificamerican.com
60 years ago NASA took the first ever photo of Earth from the moon
Snapped on August 23, 1966, by the uncrewed Lunar Orbiter 1, the photo’s legacy lives on in the breathtaking images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew
030
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
NASA’s Project Hail Mary for the Seift Observatory has failed. The rescue craft, meant to stabilize its orbit, developed its own problems and, after a month of trying to salvage the mission, it’s now been called off. www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...
scientificamerican.com
NASA’s rescue mission for the falling Swift space telescope has failed
The space agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which studied cataclysmic cosmic explosions, is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere later this year
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
During a summer where the FDA has been shortstaffed while also dealing with the cyclosporia and salmonella outbreaks, the agency has been without an official leader. Now, it appears presidential aide Heidi Overton has been tapped to take over. www.scientificamerican.com/article/trum...
scientificamerican.com
Trump to nominate White House aide Heidi Overton to head the FDA
Overton is a medical doctor with ties to the Make America Healthy Again movement
011
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Reminder number 38932789437895739284923874 to vet your sources.
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Our EIC @jeanna.bsky.social summarizes what it's like to work at SciAm so beautifully here. There's so much history - we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a precarious industry, but the team we have is brilliant. Hopefully the best is yet to come. www.scientificamerican.com/article/scia...
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Bit of a scoop: The Heritage Foundation recently put out a position paper calling for a major reform to Title IX. However, several of researchers whose work was mentioned said there work was misconstrued or taken out of context.
2428
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Musicians develop signatures - harmonic, rhythmic and melodic tics that show up frequently in their work. Researchers found a way to identify those musical 'fingerprints' in 20 famous jazz pianists (including Oscar Peterson, from my hometown of Montreal). www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-d...
scientificamerican.com
AI decodes the mathematical ‘fingerprints’ of famous jazz musicians, from Chick Corea to Thelonious Monk
Music and math often come together in ways we don’t expect
3182
Reposted by Adam Kovac
Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
From a partial eclipse over Berlin to totality over Spain, see some of the most incredible images of the August 12 total solar eclipse from around the world www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...
scientificamerican.com
Stunning images show the 2026 total solar eclipse in all its majesty
From a partial eclipse over Berlin to totality over Spain, see some of the incredible images of the August 12 total solar eclipse
05110
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
A major study that's been cited by all sorts of COVID and vaccine skeptics claimed 3 million excess people died in Western countries between 2020 and 2022. After intense scrutiny, that study has now been retracted. www.scientificamerican.com/article/majo...
scientificamerican.com
Major COVID study that fueled vaccine skepticism retracted over 'misinformation'
The study was originally published in 2024 and was criticized by other scientists at the time as being misleading
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Yale researchers concluded universal, single-payer healthcare would save Americans over $1 trillion every year and save over 114,000 lives. The study has found a booster in Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of Medicare for All's biggest proponents. www.scientificamerican.com/article/yale...
scientificamerican.com
Scientists calculated how much money and lives 'Medicare for All' might save—it's a lot
The study has been touted by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders as proof of the benefits of a universal, single-payer healthcare system, but the research hasn't been peer-reviewed
020
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Today is total solar eclipse day (in a few select places)! There's a lot of really cool science happening as a result, including a recreation of the famed Eddington Experiment. ICYMI, here's how @sciam.bsky.social covered the original 107 years ago. www.scientificamerican.com/article/107-...
scientificamerican.com
107 years ago, Scientific American covered one of the most ambitious total eclipse experiments ever
The Eddington experiment used a solar eclipse to prove Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity
022
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The only person to ever go faster than sound in a car has done it again: he pushed a hydrogen engine-powered car to over 400 mph, crushing three different records in the process. www.scientificamerican.com/article/land...
scientificamerican.com
Land speed record holder shatters hydrogen car record with 406-mph race
Andy Green holds the land speed record, having hit 763.035 miles per hour driving a more conventional vehicle in 1997
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This is so cool - tomorrow, a PhD student will recreate the famous Eddington Experiment during the solar eclipse in Iceland. 107 years ago, Scientific American covered the original, which proved Einstein's general theory of relativity is accurate. www.scientificamerican.com/article/107-...
scientificamerican.com
107 years ago, Scientific American covered one of the most ambitious total eclipse experiments ever
The Eddington Experiment used a solar eclipse to prove Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Taylor Farms, the same produce supplier linked to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, has now issued a recall for jalapenos due to the salmonella outbreak. The company said there's no evidence anyone has become sick from their peppers. www.scientificamerican.com/article/cycl...
scientificamerican.com
Cyclosporiasis-linked Taylor Farms recalls jalapeños tied to Salmonella outbreak
This summer has been marked by multiple outbreaks of food-borne illness, with thousands of infections and two deaths due to cyclosporiasis and hundreds of cases of Salmonella
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
ICYMI: The Pentagon released its fifth tranche of UAP materials, which includes some fun, lil' bouncy lights. www.scientificamerican.com/article/late...
scientificamerican.com
Latest Pentagon UFO files release includes video of mysterious ‘cold orbs’
This new cache of material includes footage of a U.S. military plane’s infrared display recorded during an exercise over the Gulf of Oman in 2021
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The Pentagon has released its latest tranche of UAP files. No little green men, but a couple of fun lil' bouncy lights! www.scientificamerican.com/article/late...
scientificamerican.com
Latest Pentagon UFO files release includes video of mysterious “cold orbs”
The new cache of material includes footage of a U.S. military plane's infrared display recorded during an exercise over the Gulf of Oman in 2021
010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The sky isn't falling - yet. This is a very expensive and difficult thing to pull off, and it could create life-saving new antibiotics. But the potential downsides are pretty obvious and terrifying and regulators need to get moving ASAP. www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-j...
scientificamerican.com
AI just created a virus not found in nature and scientists are worried
The technique could lead to new treatments for antibiotic-resistant bugs, but some scientists say the technology could be misused
210
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
It certainly FEELS like Gen Z is smoking more, but the data doesn't quite back it up - cigarette use has been declining for decades. But once you dig in, there's troubling data points - the vibe change, as they say, may be real, and it's kinda nihilistic. www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-g...
scientificamerican.com
Is Gen Z actually smoking more? An investigation
Smoking in movies and TV is up, and “cigfluencers” have become a thing, but lags in data make it unclear if the vibe shift has any reality to it
000
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Chipotle and QDOBA have removed jalapenos from a distributor from their restaurants due to salmonella. Salmonella is one of the leading causes of food poisoning in the U.S., infecting an estimate 1.3 million people per year. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...
scientificamerican.com
CDC warns of Salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeño peppers sold to Chipotle and QDOBA
As cases of a parasite-caused disease tied to shredded iceberg lettuce continue to climb, the nation's top public health body is warning of a new food-borne illness
42010
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
SpaceX had its first quarterly earnings yesterday, and the space launch sector lost $542 million, while the company as a whole lost $143 million. Musk said one avenue to profitability is robotic satellite factories on the Moon. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon...
scientificamerican.com
Elon Musk reveals SpaceX plans to build satellite factories on the moon
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
232
Adam Kovac @adamjkovac.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
What do Leo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos have in common? I swear this isn't the setup to a joke - they're actually behind a $200 million effort to save 100 critically endangered species. www.scientificamerican.com/article/proj...
scientificamerican.com
Project backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos aims to save 100 critically endangered species
This billionaire-backed fund is dedicating $200 million to preserve animals and even plants that are facing extinction around the world
020