ChemistryJanuary 4, 2013
Fact or Fiction: Does a Spoon in the Bottle Keep Champagne Bubbly?
A persistent bit of kitchen folklore appears to have little basis in fact
Stories by John Matson
John Matson is a former reporter and editor for Scientific American who has written extensively about astronomy and physics.
The SciencesJanuary 1, 2013
Carbon Planets Turn Earth’s Chemistry on Its Head
Scientists have discovered exoplanets where carbon, relatively rare on Earth, might be as common as dirt
Space & PhysicsDecember 20, 2012
California Meteor Broke Speed Record for Atmospheric Entry
The SciencesDecember 17, 2012
NASA Probes to Crash into Lunar Mountain Monday Afternoon
Space & PhysicsDecember 13, 2012
Relative Masses of 7-Billion-Year-Old Protons and Electrons Confirmed to Match Those of Today's Particles
Space & PhysicsDecember 13, 2012
Shifty Sightings: Hubble Images Reveal 7 of the Most Distant Galaxies Ever Seen
The latest finds from Hubble date to just a few hundred million years after the big bang
December 6, 2012
Once upon a Time: The Story of the Apollo Program [Timeline]
December marks the 40th anniversary of humankind's last departure from the moon
The SciencesDecember 4, 2012
Despite Tantalizing Hints, Voyager 1 Has Not Crossed into the Interstellar Medium
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2012
What Fuels a White Dwarf’s Luminous Detonation?
What fuels a white dwarf's luminous nuclear detonation?
December 1, 2012
Exoplanet Discoveries to Date Are Just a Drop in the Bucket
Systematic searches are revealing a plenitude of alien worlds
December 1, 2012
Exoplanet Discoveries to Date Are Just a Drop in the Bucket [Interactive]
Systematic searches are revealing a plenitude of alien worlds
Space & PhysicsNovember 29, 2012
Solar System's Moons May Have Emerged from Long-Gone Planetary Rings
Ancient, Saturn-like ring systems may have acted as assembly lines for natural satellites
Space & PhysicsNovember 21, 2012
Rare Apparition of Dwarf Planet Makemake Reveals a Largely Airless World
Makemake briefly eclipsed a run-of-the-mill star last year, allowing astronomers to measure the dwarf planet's physical properties
The SciencesNovember 14, 2012
The November 2012 Solar Eclipse, as Seen 3 Times by Satellite [Video]
The SciencesNovember 13, 2012
LHC Experiment Yields No Insight into Post-Higgs Physics
TechnologyNovember 9, 2012
Mini Mover and Shaker: Single-Molecule "Engine" Vibrates Macro Object
The random motion of a hydrogen molecule can drive the oscillation of a much larger structure
The SciencesNovember 6, 2012
Quantum Flip-Floppers: Photon Findings Add to Mystery of Wave-Particle Duality
New experiments show that a photon can traverse an optical obstacle course as both a wave and particle simultaneously
The SciencesNovember 5, 2012
Astronomers Spot Most Distant Supernova Yet
Space & PhysicsNovember 1, 2012
Astronomical Surveys Pinpoint Our Place in the Cosmos
Astronomical surveys are pinpointing our place in the cosmos
Space & PhysicsNovember 1, 2012
Voyager 1 Sends Back Conflicting Data as It Approaches Interstellar Space
Physicists try to puzzle out Voyager 1's position as it approaches interstellar space
HealthNovember 1, 2012
RFID Tags Track Possible Outbreak Pathways in the Hospital
Patterns of personal contact in a hospital reveal true pathways of transmission
TechnologyNovember 1, 2012
A New Scale Weighs Single Molecules in Real Time
A new nanodevice can weigh single molecules in real time
November 1, 2012
RFID Tags Track Possible Outbreak Pathways in the Hospital [Interactive]
Patterns of personal contact in a hospital reveal true pathways of transmission
Space & PhysicsOctober 24, 2012
Massive Planets Might Escape Stellar Engulfment Largely Undiminished