History of Science

Cholera outbreaks on two islands, divided by centuries, offer lessons on how to ameliorate conditions that could give rise to future epidemics

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in past issues of Scientific American

In what would be his centennial year, Martin Gardner, the longtime author of Scientific American's celebrated Mathematical Games column, continues to inspire mathematicians and puzzle lovers

Do you think of yourself as a true fan of Martin Gardner’s? Test your knowledge of him here

When every party was a toga party

Is chimpanzee violence a product of nature or nurture? Genes or environment? Two weeks ago Nature published a report, "Lethal aggression in Pan is better explained by adaptive strategies than human impacts," in which 30 primatologists came down on the side of nature.

Europe's particle-physics lab, made famous most recently for the discovery of the Higgs boson, turns 60 this week

Editor's Note: Veteran science journalist Philip Hilts is working and diving with a team of archeologists, engineers and divers off the shore of Antikythera, a remote Greek island, where a treasure ship by the same name sank in 70 B.C.

Discovering a new species isn't always as easy as saying “Look, there’s a new species!” In the case of a rare bird recently identified in Brazil, it took about 20 years for scientists to gather enough evidence to classify it as a new species.

The world's favorite number is seven, at least if the result of a poll conducted by Alex Bellos is to be believed. Some people like it because it is prime, some because they have a lot of sevens in their birthdates.

Today, maintaining privacy without guided assistance is an onerous task, whose initial costs are high, immediate rewards low and solutions fragile and constantly evolving.

Mike meet everyone, everyone meet Mike. No, no, don't wave. He can't see, you're just making this awkward. Also known as Miracle Mike, Mike the Headless Chicken was a plump, five-year-old cockerel when he was unceremoniously beheaded on 10 September 1945.