Mind
A Brief Guide to Embodied Cognition: Why You Are Not Your Brain
Embodied cognition, the idea that the mind is not only connected to the body but that the body influences the mind, is one of the more counter-intuitive ideas in cognitive science.
Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
The Sciences
I'm Shocked! Shocked! to Find There Are Neutrinos Going On Here
I've been doing a little poking around the matter of the Italian Grand Prix (neutrino division). Plenty has been written about this already, of course, but what strikes me a few weeks into the story is how effectively the response to the announcement of a possible detection of faster-than-light neutrinos illustrates what actually goes into the making of a piece of science...
Health
Lilly s Shocker, or the Post-Marketing Blues
Just last week, I mentioned that Eli Lilly and Company, as a condition of approval for their blockbuster drug, was required to conduct post-marketing studies of Xigris.
The Sciences
What Is Peer Review for?
There is a lot of back and forth right now amongst the academic technorati about the "future of peer review". The more I read about this, the more I've begun to step back and ask, in all seriousness: What is scientific peer-review for?...
Mind
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes: Why Most of Us Wouldn't Be Able to Tell That Watson Fought in Afghanistan
I remember well my amazement when I heard my first ever demonstration of Holmes's observational and deductional prowess in A Study in Scarlet . We had just settled in, as we did every Sunday night, to listen to the evening's reading entertainment...
Evolution
Talk "Dirty" to Me: Blood, Purity and Cuisine
Maybe it’s because of the recent popularity of True Blood and Twilight , but I’ve been thinking about blood consumption a lot lately.
Evolution
Trick or Treat?
Halloween is a time to celebrate the power of disguise. Wherever your travels take you today it won’t be surprising if you bump into a few zombies, vampires or witches on your way.
Evolution
Are birds' tweets grammatical?
Are humans the only species with enough smarts to craft a language? Most of us believe that we are. Although many animals have their own form of communication, none has the depth or versatility heard in human speech...
Sustainability
Books: Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis
Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis By Cynthia BarnettPublished in 2011 by Beacon Press, Boston MAISBN 978-0-80700-317-6Buy this book at Amazon.com (hardcover) or on your Kindle Full disclosure: I solicited via e-mail and received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my promise of a published review...
Sustainability
A Geologist's-Eye-View of the Van Earthquake
The death toll from Sunday's magnitude 7.2 earthquake in the Van Province in eastern Turkey has now risen to over 500 people, and will undoubtedly continue to rise as rescuers continue to search the hundreds of buildings that collapsed during the shaking...
Blog Index
@ScientificAmerican
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Anecdotes from the Archive
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Anthropology in Practice
Exploring the human condition.
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Beautiful Minds
Insights into intelligence, creativity, personality, and well-being
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Budding Scientist
Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
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Cross-Check
Critical views of science in the news
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Dark Star Diaries
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Dog Spies
Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
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Extinction Countdown
News and research about endangered species from around the world
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Eye of the Storm
The Science Behind Extreme Weather
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Frontiers for Young Minds
Science by and for kids ages 8-15
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Guest Blog
Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American
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Hot Planet
Climate science in a changing world
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Illusion Chasers
Illusions, Delusions, and Everyday Deceptions
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Life, Unbounded
Discussion and news about planets, exoplanets, and astrobiology
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Observations
Opinion, arguments & analyses from guest experts and from the editors of Scientific American
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Roots of Unity
Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
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Rosetta Stones
Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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SA Visual
STAFFIllustrating science since 1845
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Talking back
STAFFA science blog, sans blague
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The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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