Culture
100 Years after an Epidemic, a Scientific Guide to Alien Life and Other New Science Books
Book recommendations from the editors of Scientific American
Culture1080 articles archived since 1845
Culture
Scientists and Artists Must Work Together
We need to engage people emotionally, not just intellectually, to address the plight of the planet
Artists Strive to Make Climate Impacts “Visceral”
Art that provokes emotions can complement climate science
Public Health
The Crusade against Dangerous Food, Part 2
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Deborah Blum talks about her book The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the 20th Century, Part 2...
Chemistry
The Crusade against Dangerous Food, Part 1
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Deborah Blum talks about her book The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the 20th Century, Part 1...
Culture
An Uncanny Display: Algorithmic Art at the Whitney Museum
A new show looks back over a half century of this surprisingly robust genre
Culture
How Have Plants Shaped Human Societies?
We still know very little, but a new project called the Plant Humanities Initiative aims to change that
Culture
Can AI Create True Art?
And if it can, what are the implications for the future of creativity?
Biology
Social Construct of Race Imposes Biology
Anthropologist Jennifer Raff argues that race is culturally created, but has biological consequences.
Liberals Are from Mars, Conservatives Are from Venus
Political attitudes reflect cognitive styles that are rooted in differing cultures
The Singular of “Data” Is Not “Anecdote”
Why the singular of “data” is not “anecdote”
EARTH
Bones and Stones: Cemetery Geology
A tour of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, N.Y., focuses on the geology of the landscape and the mausoleums.
The Roots of Data Visualization, Why We Kill Ourselves, and Other New Science Books
Book recommendations from the editors of Scientific American
Behavior
Dissecting the Bloodthirsty Bliss of Death Metal
Fans of this violent music report feelings of transcendence and positive emotions; psychologists want to learn why
Culture
Your Halloween Geo Grab Bag
It's Halloween season, and I've been saving up all sorts of treats for you!
Culture
Beauty Does Not Equal Truth, in Physics or Elsewhere
Truth can be ugly, and beauty can lead us astray
Culture
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?
Culture
Can Science Fiction Save the World?
James Gunn, the last surviving author of the genre’s Golden Age, believes it can help, anyway
Culture
Science News Briefs from around the Globe
A few very brief reports about science and technology from around the globe, including one from Mongolia on horse dentistry.
Revolutionary Microscopy Technique Nets Most Lucrative Prize in Science
The Breakthrough awards, each worth U.S. $3 million, honor advances in the life sciences, physics and mathematics
