The Pulsar Chart That Became a Pop Icon Turns 50: Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures
A classic data visualization brought an astronomical curiosity to music lovers
Stories by Jen Christiansen
The Language of Science
How the words we use have evolved over the past 175 years
A Visual Guide to the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
What scientists know about the inner workings of the pathogen that has infected the world
Scientific American’s Colorful Covers Reveal 175 Years of Change
The magazine’s hues provide a record of publishing technology and trends
Visualizing Science: Illustration and Beyond
Where does the illustrator end and the infographer begin? How does data visualization fit in? And what does science have to say about the design decisions we make?
Only 150 of Your Facebook Contacts Are Real Friends
Even with social media, we max out at 150 real relationships
Aerial Fireworks, Illustrated
Graphics from the Scientific American archive provide a glimpse of the history and science of pyrotechnics
Pi City
Data visualizers Martin Krzywinski and Jake Lever map city centers for an annual Pi Day art exploration
The Evolution of a Scientific American Graphic: Pregnancy in Progress
When we return to a topic where the research has advanced, our visual explanations need to be updated accordingly
Circadian Rhythms, Illustrated
A graphic from the Scientific American archive provides a look into the brain’s molecular clock—research that contributed to this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine...
Visualizing the Innards of Subatomic Particles
With a nod to the recently discovered Xi-cc++ particle, here’s a look at the quantum foam that lies within
Revisiting a Climate Data Viz Icon
This humble 59-year-old chart reveals that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to climb upward
Unexplained Light Curves
Boyajian’s star is dimming again. This graphic shows why that’s weird.
Interactive Brain Art
A new media installation at Columbia University renders the brain larger than life
Sleeping Beauties of Science
Scientific American graphic about slumbering research papers wakes up for an award
Visualizing Uncertain Weather
Storm prediction is tricky business. So is illustrating it
Atmospheric Rivers, Illustrated
Graphics from the Scientific American archive show how these storm systems impact California
Vera Rubin's Numbers
Evidence for dark matter is visible in this elegant set of simple charts, rooted in data published decades ago
