Roots of Unity
Math, Quilting and Activism
Mathematician Chawne Kimber shares her favorite theorems and quilts that make a statement
Blogs
Observations
Why Doctors Reject Tools That Make Their Jobs Easier
From the thermometer’s invention onward, physicians have feared—incorrectly—that new technology would make their jobs obsolete
Beautiful Minds
What Would Happen If Everyone Truly Believed Everything Is One?
New research suggests a belief in oneness has broad implications for psychological functioning and compassion for those are outside of our immediate circle.
Recent Posts
Select Topic
FDA okays new drug to treat fibromyalgia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new med to treat fibromyalgia, a mysterious disease characterized by chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and depression.
Coffee-induced hallucinations? Caffeinated coeds hear voices, study says
Java is known to give some people the jitters if they drink too much of it. But can it also trigger hallucinations?
It may if you consume enough of it, say British psychologists, who report in the journal Personality and Individual Differences this week that college students they studied said they sometimes heard faux voices after chugging at least seven cups of coffee daily.
Feds fail to use effective drug treatment plans in prison
Despite 20 years of scientific evidence showing that drug treatment programs work, the feds fail to offer enough of them to prisoners, according to a new study.
Can open-heart surgery make you dimmer?
Every year, about half a million Americans undergo open-heart surgery. Roughly 60 percent of them experience some degree of mental decline after the surgery, a phenomenon that surgeons call "pumphead." A new study in this month's Annals of Thoracic Surgery sheds light on possible causes of the mysterious condition, which in some patients is temporary but in others may last a lifetime.
Watch out Hawaii: Veggies may harbor rare parasite
Three people in Hawaii have come down with what appears to be a rare parasitic disease called rat lungworm disease in recent weeks. Two of the victims (friends who had a meal together) told the Honolulu Star Bulletin that they experienced "agonizing pain" after eating raw vegetables – and physicians fear they may have accidentally swallowed slug larvae hidden inside folds of raw peppers.
"Love hormone" may also help us recognize faces
Oxytocin, a hormone associated with trust and social bonding, also helps people recognize familiar human faces, according to a new study. Researchers say the findings, published today in The Journal of Neuroscience , could shed light on the causes of mysterious neurological and psychological disorders.
Never Ask a Gay Man for Directions
Because studies show homosexual males navigate like women
Drugs trigger dramatic weight loss in fat mice
Drugs currently on the market but used for other purposes helped plump mice shed pounds by upping their response to the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin, according to a new study.
This is your brain on love: Lasting romance makes an impression--literally
Make fun, if you must, but it turns out that love may not fade with time, after all — and leaves a lasting impression in our brains as well as our hearts, according to a recent study.
Think You Know Your Dog? Put Your Nose to the Test
Studies show that dog owners can pick their pooch out of a lineup by smell alone
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
Expeditions
Read
Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
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
MIND Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American Mind
Read
Not bad science
New discoveries in animal behavior and cognition
Read
Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
Read
Plugged In
More than wires - exploring the connections between energy, environment, and our lives
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
Tetrapod Zoology
Amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals - living and extinct
Read
The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
Read
Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
Read