Observations
Masks and Emasculation: Why Some Men Refuse to Take Safety Precautions
They think it makes them look weak, and avoiding that is evidently more important to them than demonstrating responsible behavior
Blogs
Observations
How a Landmark Physics Paper from the 1970s Uncannily Describes the COVID-19 Pandemic
Phil Anderson’s article “More Is Different” describes how different levels of complexity require new ways of thinking. And as the virus multiplies and spreads, that’s just what the human race desperately needs...
Observations
The Fight against COVID-19 Threatens to Cause Collateral Health Damage
The pandemic is no excuse to abandon chronic disease management and prevention
Recent Posts
Select Topic
Study clears acrylamide of gastrointestinal cancer link
Lovers of foods cooked at high temps will be happy to know that a new study indicates a chemical called acrylamide, which forms in French fries, chips, cereals, coffee, cakes and other palate-pleasers, apparently does not raise the risk of gastrointestinal cancer...
Queen Latifah, science geek? That's the buzz
Here at Scientific American , we’re quite proud of our 163-year history. We especially like to point out that nearly 140 Nobel Prize winners have written for us – including three of those who won last week...
If I could turn back time, I'd buy Einstein's watch
Is a wristwatch worth more than half a million dollars? If it belonged to Albert Einstein, the answer isn't relative.
An anonymous bidder has coughed up $596,000 for a gold wristwatch worn by the physicist whose special theory of relativity proposed that time slows down or speeds up depending on how fast things are moving...
It's official: Large Hadron Collider's troubles stem from electrical malfunction
Initial suspicions that a faulty electrical connection between two magnets inside the giant Large Hadron Collider (LHC) caused a helium leak that ultimately shut down the machine have proved correct...
Human waste: Everything you ever wanted to know
We take it for granted, the humble commode, but waste disposal as we know it may not survive indefinitely.
Lucky for us, author Rose George fills us in on the history of the toilet — and the forces that necessitate its upgrade — in her new book The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters ...
Is food the new ethical dilemma?
We recently asked, is keeping kosher good for the environment? We tried to answer the question by running the carbon footprint numbers based on what you substituted for forbidden foods like pork and shellfish...
Hurricane Omar on track for Caribbean
Here comes another hurricane.
Omar could bring up to 20 inches of rain across Puerto Rico and the Northern Leeward islands — and life-threatening flash floods and mud slides — when it arrives over the next 24-36 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center...
Also on the ballot: Assisted suicide measure
There's renewed energy behind the right-to-die movement: A voter initiative on the Washington State ballot would allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to dying patients.
Paul Krugman takes Nobel economics prize
Well-known New York Times columnist and Princeton professor of economics Paul Krugman has been awarded the 2008 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel...
No peace for science: International mediator takes Nobel Peace Prize
ScientificAmerican.com was up early again this morning checking the Nobel Prize Web site, waiting for the peace prize announcement. If you're wondering why, you'll recall that science and the environment have played a role in two of the last three Nobel Peace Prizes: Last year’s award to the U.N...
Blog Index
@ScientificAmerican
STAFFBehind the scenes at Scientific American
Read
Anecdotes from the Archive
STAFF
Read
Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
Read
Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being
Read
Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
Read
Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
Read
Dark Star Diaries
STAFF
Read
Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
Read
Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
Read
Eye of the Storm
The Science Behind Extreme Weather
Read
Frontiers for Young Minds
Science by and for kids ages 8-15
Read
Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
Read
Hot Planet
Climate science in a changing world
Read
Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
Read
Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
Read
Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
Read
Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
Read
Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
Read
SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
Read
Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
Read
The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
Read
Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
Read
