History of Science

Should you happen to live in the United Kingdom, Matt Parker — a.k.a. @StandUpMaths on Twitter — probably needs no introduction.

In 1989, I was working as an at editor at IEEE Spectrum when I was assigned to write a feature on Bhopal. The thirtieth anniversary of that industrial disaster that killed thousands is tonight.

This the first time that a living Nobel laureate has auctioned off his or her medal

Imagine if the world’s two largest polluters unilaterally decide to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the ubiquitous gas responsible for the bulk of global warming.

Paging through some old Scientific American scrapbooks recently, I found this gem from Gerard Piel, a past publisher, in a 1958 article: "Science moves forward in little jumps with small accretions to the total body of knowledge.

Some scientists have found highly unethical or duplicitous routes to tamper with and game the peer-review system designed to ensure the validity of findings

I love apostates, believers in or, better yet, conceivers of a theory who turn against it. They restore my faith in science, because they show that scientists can overcome attachment to their own brainchildren, a feat that is essential for progress and cannot be taken for granted.

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in past issues of Scientific American

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Newly discovered Maya artwork illuminates an ancient clash

I came, I saw, Icons