
How to Turn 175 Years of Words in Scientific American into an Image
A data designer explains the art and science of analyzing and charting text from 5,107 issues of this magazine

How to Turn 175 Years of Words in Scientific American into an Image
A data designer explains the art and science of analyzing and charting text from 5,107 issues of this magazine

The Sanctuary of Trees, How to Argue with a Racist and Other New Books
New science book recommendations from the editors of Scientific American


The Pulsar Chart That Became a Pop Icon Turns 50: Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures
A classic data visualization brought an astronomical curiosity to music lovers

Welcome to 175 Years of Discovery
An orientation to our special issue

Poem: Bring Back the Leaf
Science in meter and verse

The Language of Science
How the words we use have evolved over the past 175 years

175 Years of Scientific American: The Good, the Bad and the Debunking
We look back at some highlights, midlights and lowlights of the history of Scientific American, featuring former editor in chief John Rennie. Astrophysicist Alan Guth also appears in a sponsored segment.

Bread Science: A Yeasty Conversation
“Baking is applied microbiology,” according to the book Modernist Bread. During pandemic lockdowns, many people started baking their own bread. Scientific American contributing editor W. Wayt Gibbs talks about Modernist Bread, for which he was a writer and editor.

Time’s Arrow Flies through 500 Years of Classical Music, Physicists Say
A statistical study of more than 8,000 compositions shows how the flow of time distinguishes music from noise

Explore 175 Years of Words in Scientific American
Search a 4,000-word database to see how language in the magazine evolved over time

Celebrating Scientific American’s 175th Anniversary
Enjoy some surprising history and the most dizzying discoveries

The Coming or Possibly Nearly Here Storm
Former Scientific American editor Mark Alpert talks about his latest sci-fi thriller The Coming Storm, which warns about the consequences of unethical scientific research and of ignoring the scientific findings you don’t like.