Smart people struggle with this

Test your logic and reasoning with this special issue of Today in Science ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

May 31, 2026—This is a special Sunday edition of Today in Science. Challenge your brain with this month's most popular games and puzzles. Smart people struggle with these. Let's see how you do. We'll be back tomorrow with our normal newsletter. —Andrea Gawrylewski Chief Newsletter Editor WORD PUZZLES ​ Spellements: Build as many words as possible using the middle letter. Can you find any words that incorporate all the letters? Hint: one is featured in a recent Scientific American article. Play a science crossword that ties into stories from the June 2026 issue of Scientific American. Read it here MATH PUZZLE Which of the following is the least likely to be a palindrome (read the same forward and backward, like the number 1,331)?   1. A random four-digit number (from 1,000 to 9,999)    2. A random five-digit number (from 10,000 to 99,999)    3. A random four-digit even number    4. A random four-digit odd numbers.    Solution here.   LOGIC PUZZLES ​ Expert Sudoku: Fill each row, column and sub-grid with exactly one of each number from 1-9. Solution here. ​ Killer Sudoku: Fill each row, column and sub-grid with exactly one of each number from 1-9. In Killer Sudoku, the digits in each inner shape (marked by dots) must add up to the number in the top corner of that box. No digit can be repeated within an inner shape, row, column or sub-grid. Solution here. ​ KenKen 4x4: Fill each row and column with exactly one of each possible number—in this case, numbers 1 through 4. You are not allowed to repeat any number in the same row or column. Each inner shape (marked by the boundaries) has an associated number and an operation. The result of applying the operation to the digits within that shape must equal the associated number. Find the solution here. ​ KenKen 6x6: Same rules as the previous one, but this time fill each row and column with exactly one of each numbers 1 through 6, while adhereing to the internal calculations. Solution here. JIGSAW PUZZLE Unscramble our most popular jigsaw puzzle this month. This image of our August 1961 issue cover shows three small sea creatures eating parasites and dead tissue from three larger fish. This type of symbiotic relationship proved more common among aquatic animals than scientists had thought. NEWS QUIZ How closely did you read Scientific American this month? Test your science chops with this month's most popular news quiz.

Never miss a game, puzzle or quiz with a subscription to Scientific American. Try it out for 90 days for just $1! I hope you enjoyed this special weekend edition of Today in Science.  Reach the newsletter team with your questions, comments and other thoughts by emailing: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow!   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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