Technology
Outrage against the Machines
A short history of tech wrongs righted by widespread indignation
Electronics1802 articles archived since 1845
Biology
The Quest: Get the Lowdown on the Pills You're Popping
Looking up information about prescription medications used to mean thumbing through the pages of the big blue Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), or more recently, searching the PDR website...
Oil Spill Fines Pay For Turtle-Saving LED Lights
A sea turtle’s life begins in darkness. After about 60 days of incubation inside their eggs, turtle hatchlings use a temporary tooth called a caruncle to break out of their shells...
Happy 90th Birthday, Evelyn Boyd Granville!
Evelyn Boyd Granville, the second African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics, turns 90 today (May 1, 2014). I first heard her name in a talk by Patricia Kenschaft about African American mathematicians...
SciAm Readers Prioritize MP3s Over MPGs
Thank you for your input as no less than 100 readers were kind enough to participate in my not-so-scientific survey of what is least important to them, when given a choice to give up one item ranging between a TV, vehicle, laptop/tablet, and a smartphone...
Upcoming Science-Art Events Around the Country
This is the dish on the latest exhibits combining science and art around the country. This time the prize for the most bumpin’ scienceArt scene goes to the Northeast, amirite?
Technology
Graphic Geeks Can Now Give Their Characters Curly Locks
Simulating a single spiraling hair strand may prove a boon to computer animators
Technology
In Defense of Outrage over New Technology
Sometimes the Luddites have a point
Policy
Bitcoin Vies with New Cryptocurrencies as Coin of the Cyber Realm
As hundreds of “altcoin” knockoffs are minted online, bitcoins no longer dominate as the principal form of digital currency
Technology
Is Your Home Security System Safe?
Tech Talker: Quick and Dirty Tips to Navigate the Digital World
Policy
Catfishing: The Truth About Deception Online
The growing popularity of online dating The dating scene has been changing over the last decade. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, approximately 6% of Internet users who are in a marriage or other committed relationship met online, compared to 3% who reported this in 2005...
Technology
Lytro Camera Refocuses on Upscale Audience
The Lytro Illum camera system allows refocusing of a photo after it's taken. It's faster guts and more professional design make the camera more attractive—and pricier—than its predecessor...
Policy
U.S. Puzzles Over What to Do about E-Cigarettes
Federal regulators propose new rules to answer long-burning questions about electronic cigarettes
Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Snapshots from Space [Video]
Today, Chris Hadfield shared in social media a previously released video, Chris Hadfield’s Snapshots from Space! “Throughout his ISS mission, CSA Astronaut Chris Hadfield has been taking some of the most incredible photos of Earth ever seen...
Health
The Quest: $84,000 Miracle Cure Costs Less Than $150 to Make
What are the likely manufacturing costs for sofosbuvir (Brand name: Sovaldi), the newly approved miracle drug that cures hepatitis C at a cost of $84,000 for the full 12-week course of treatment?...
Biology
Zooniverse Condor Watch
Help researchers better understand the social dynamic of condors by identifying them in photos taken all across California
Space & Physics
Help ID Moon Craters from Your Couch
Citizen scientists have helped professional astronomers locate more than 500 million lunar craters by using an app called MoonMappers. Karen Hopkin reports
Technology
As Drug War Rages, Tweets Reveal Mexicans’ Emotional Numbness
Tweets from citizens on the front lines of the country’s conflicts with drug cartels indicate desensitization to the growing violence
Space & Physics
Telescope Apps Help Amateurs Hunt for Exoplanets
The "Automated Planet Finder" could make astronomers of us all
Technology
Broadcast TV Streamer Aereo Fights for Legal Life
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Aereo can keep streaming live broadcast TV to mobile gadgets and other devices. Larry Greenemeier reports
