Stories by Mark Fischetti

Social Technologies Are Making Us Less Social

For the first time in the history of our species, we are never alone and never bored. Have we lost something fundamental about being human?

More People Than Ever Are Migrating Because of Strife

Violence and disaster are increasingly forcing people to flee inside their own country

Conservative Republicans Really Distrust Climate Scientists [Graphic]

They also say the scientists’ research findings are influenced by political leanings

8 Cartoons That Expose Climate Denial [Slide Show]

A famous scientist and a famous cartoonist dismantle what they see as the biggest threat to the planet

Diets around the World Are Becoming More Similar

The world is entering a new era of severe obesity

U.S Cities Are Getting Dangerously Hot [Graphic]

A dramatic rise in “danger days” is underway

Diets around the World Are Becoming More Similar

Diets around the globe are more similar than they used to be

More Floods for West Virginia [Graphic]

Heavy rains for the Mountain State and the U.S. Northeast are up 71 percent

Catastrophic Canadian Wildfire Is a Sign of Destruction to Come

Less snow and warmer spring mean more acres burned

The World's Top Lightning Hotspot Is Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela

Central Africa is the epicenter, but a South American lake ranks number one

All 2.3 Million Species Are Mapped into a Single Circle of Life

Lineages of all known species on Earth are finally pieced together

From AI to Zika: AAAS Conference Highlights

Scientific American editors Mark Fischetti, Dina Maron and Seth Fletcher talk about the info they picked up at the just-concluded annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. Subjects covered include gravitational waves, whether there's really a war on science, the growing concern over Zika virus, sea level rise and advances in artificial intelligence.
 

Developing Countries Are Battling Diseases of the Rich and Poor

U.S. Coal Production Hits 30-Year Low

After a high in 2008 output, exports have plummeted

Ask the Experts: Is El Niño to Blame for So Much Weird Weather?

Winter heat, pounding rains, tornadoes—a climatologist explains which extremes can be attributed to El Niño and which cannot

Men and Women Alter a Home's Bacteria Differently

An analysis of dust reveals how the presence of men, women, dogs and cats affects the variety of bacteria in a household

139 Countries Could Get All of their Power from Renewable Sources

Energy from wind, water and sun would eliminate nuclear and fossil fuels

Meet PlankZooka, the Deep-Sea Plankton Vacuum

The new sampler sucks up the tiny creatures without tearing them apart

Invasive Plants Are Moving from the Northern Hemisphere South

Intrusive plants tend to originate in the Northern Hemisphere

Hurricane Patricia Rapidly Becomes Strongest Storm Ever in Western Hemisphere

Top wind speed is much greater than Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy