Culture1079 articles archived since 1845

New Books on Memes, Mental Time Travel, Manufactured Emotions and Tech Addiction

Scientific American Mind weighs in on recent titles from neuroscience and psychology 

Bronze-Age “Beaker Culture” Invaded Britain, Ancient-Genome Study Finds

Famous bell-shaped pots are associated with a group of immigrants who may have displaced Neolithic farmers

Why the Cross Put Chickens on a New Road

A religiously inspired change in the European diet about a thousand years ago led to the development of the modern domesticated chicken.  

The Rising Trend of Pets at Work

Before you set up a desk for Fido, have you thought through what this really means for your office?

Follow-Up: The Reasons People Don't Return Their Shopping Carts

It looks like the shopping cart question hit a nerve

Origins of Male Domination May Lie in Food

Chemical signatures left behind in the bones of people living thousands of years ago suggest that the introduction of new commodities provided an opportunity for men

How Marketing Changed the Way We See Avocados

Once upon a time, Americans didn't know what to do with "alligator pears." Now we can't get enough

Dreams of the Stone Age Dated for First Time in Southern Africa

Ancient rock art research could piece together how the peoples who lived in the region some 5,700 years ago interacted
 

The Art and Science of Making Movies Moves to the Outdoors, 1917

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in Scientific American

Daring Apollo 8 Astronauts, Rediscovering a Forgotten Math Genius and Other New Science Books

May book recommendations from the editors of Scientific American 

The Movies, 1917 [Slide Show]

Readers Respond to the January 2017 Issue

Letters to the editor from the January 2017 issue of Scientific American

Where Astronomy and Gastronomy Meet

To help people grasp the cosmos through senses other than sight, a scientist and a team of chefs are creating simple, elegant (and edible) metaphors for some of the universe’s most complex ideas...

Science Has Always Been Inseparable from Politics

Scientific research doesn’t take place in a vacuum; it can only happen with society’s blessing

We Live in a Pre-Truth Universe

The next Magellan, tomorrow’s Einstein might be more inspired by our ignorance than by our discoveries.

Readers Respond to “Why Exercise May Be the Best Fit for Depression”

Letters about Scientific American Mind’s January/February 2017 issue 

Why Do We Fight for Free T-Shirts at Sporting Events?

The return of baseball marks a new beginning for fans. This could be the year the team makes a championship run. Or maybe they'll see a rare no-hitter or, arguably even more elusive, catch a t-shirt from the fan patrol...

The Movies, 1917

Humans and Technology: From Reshaping Stone to Reshaping Our World

What's the Meaning of Easter Baskets?

Part of the Easter festivities today may include giving children baskets of goodies, which are left ostensibly by the Easter Bunny. That absolutely is the case in my household.