July 9, 2012
Notorious Arsenic-Tolerant Bacterium Needs Phosphorus After All
Two teams have repeated a much-debated study and found that the chemical rules of life remain unbroken
Extraterrestrial Life
Space & PhysicsJuly 8, 2012
From Space to Soil in 7 Minutes [Slide Show]
The Young American Scientists Issue—Read Now
Space & PhysicsJune 26, 2012
Going for Broke: 5 Experiments That Went Out in a Blaze of Glory
Scientists have used the last moments of major experiments or spacecraft to make a push for knowledge--or to produce some fireworks
Space & PhysicsJune 25, 2012
30 under 30: Tracing the Evolution of the Universe
Meet Minnie Mao, 26, one of the up-and-coming physicists attending this year's Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
June 21, 2012
Super-Earths: Bigger, and Maybe Better
Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy at Harvard University and the founder and director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, talks about his new book The Life of Super-Earths: How the Hunt for Alien Worlds and Artificial Cells Will Revolutionize Life on Our Planet
June 20, 2012
Super-Earth Exoplanets Could Be Better for Life
Dimitar Sasselov, director of Harvard's Origins of Life Initiative, explains how rocky exoplanets larger than Earth could have greater potential for life than Earth did. Steve Mirsky reports
June 14, 2012
Tropical Lakes on Saturn Moon Could Expand Options for Life
A subsurface source of liquid methane may be replenishing equatorial lakes on Titan, which might be a crucible for life
TechnologyJune 4, 2012
Ridley Scott's Prometheus Examines the Roots of Alien's Mythology
Co-screenwriter Jon Spaihts speaks with Scientific American about the Alien universe and humanity's quest for knowledge in Scott's latest film
May 31, 2012
The Transit of Venus, Part 2
Mark Anderson, author of the book The Day The World Discovered the Sun, talks about the transit of Venus coming up on June 5th or 6th in different parts of the world and how it will be of use to astronomers searching for exoplanets
May 23, 2012
SETI Astronomer Jill Tarter Steps Down from Alien Hunt
Tarter is shifting into a full-time fund-raising role for the SETI Institute, which had to shut down a set of alien-hunting radio telescopes for more than seven months last year due to budget shortfalls
Space & PhysicsApril 29, 2012
Mars and Mercury Star at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
The annual Texas gathering of planetary scientists featured new research from across the solar system, as well as a good deal of anger directed at politicians looking to cut back on planetary exploration
Space & PhysicsApril 1, 2012
New Data Suggest Mars Once Held an Ocean
The Red Planet may have once been home to an ocean