Color-Changing Ink Turns Clothes into Giant Chemical Sensors
A silk-based substance could lead to new wearables
Chemistry3490 articles archived since 1845
Thomas Edison Had a Crush on Iron
Originally published in January 1898
Science Briefs from around the World
Here are some brief reports about science and technology from around the planet, including one about a 70-million-year-old mollusk fossil that reveals years back then had a few more days than we have now...
A Poetic, Mind-Bending Tour of the Fungal World
Author Merlin Sheldrake shows how this neglected kingdom is essential for life on earth
Air, Sea and Space: Ocean Health, Atmosphere Insights and Black Holes
Biological oceanography expert Miriam Goldstein talks about issues facing the oceans. Reporter Adam Levy discusses air pollution info available because of the pandemic. And astrophysicist Andrew Fabian chats about black holes...
Science on the Hill: Calculating Climate
For the fourth Science on the Hill event, Future Climate: What We Know, What We Don’t, experts talked with Scientific American senior editor Mark Fischetti about what goes into modeling our climate—and how such models are used in addition to long-term climate prediction...
Hydrogen Balloons Could Elevate Telegraph Wires above Rivers
Originally published in November 1845
Bioluminescence Helps Prey Avoid Hungry Seals
Prey animals flash biochemically produced light to confuse elephant seals hunting in the dark. But at least one seal turned the tables.
Manufacturers Worry DDT Will Not Be Used
Originally published in November 1945
Skinny Genes Tell Fat to Burn
A gene whose mutated form is associated with cancer in humans turns out to have a role in burning calories over a long evolutionary history.
Lemur Flirting Uses Common Scents
To entice female ring-tailed lemurs, males rub wrist secretions, which include compounds we use in perfumes, onto their tail and then wave it near the gals.
Experts Doubt the Sun Is Actually Burning Coal
Originally published in August 1863
Virus-Infected Bees Practice Social Distancing
Bees infected with a virus cut back on interactions within their hive but find it easier to get past sentries at neighboring hives.
CSI Prussia: Detective Finds Thief Who Stole Barrel of Coins
Originally published in April 1856
Where Is Everybody Else in the Universe?
Guest host W. Wayt Gibbs talks with Jason Wright, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, about what’s known as the Fermi paradox: In a universe of trillions of planets, where is everybody?...
Universe Creates All Elements in the Periodic Table in 10 Minutes
Originally published in July 1948
Lung Cancer Screen Could Be Easy Pee-sy
In mice, a test for lung cancer involves nanoprobes that recognize tumors and send reporter molecules into the urine for simple analysis.
Meteorologists Rain on Cloud-Seeding Parade
Originally published in July 1957
COVID-19: The Need for Secure Labs—and Their Risks
Coronavirus research requires high-containment labs. Journalist Elisabeth Eaves talks with Scientific American contributing editor W. Wayt Gibbs about her article “The Risks of Building Too Many Bio Labs,” a joint project of the New Yorker and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ...
Ocean Plastic Smells Great to Sea Turtles
Ocean plastic gets covered with algae and other marine organisms, making it smell delicious to sea turtles—with potentially deadly results.
