U.S. Science and Scientific American Have Weathered Attacks Before and Won
Federal officials seized 3,000 copies of Scientific American in 1950 in a “red scare” era of attacks on science. The move backfired and offers lessons for today
‘Arsenic Life’ Microbe Study Retracted after 15 Years of Controversy
A controversial arsenic microbe study unveiled 15 years ago has been retracted. The study’s authors are crying foul
Science Makes the U.S. a Great Nation
History tells us what happens when great nations attack science
Do Wobbling Muons Point the Way to New Physics?
The most anticipated particle physics result of recent years is here—but the real news came one week before: the “muon g–2 anomaly” might have never existed
Why Do We Launch Space Telescopes?
Telescopes in space give us a view we literally cannot get from the ground
This Soviet Spacecraft Will Soon Crash-Land on Earth
Kosmos-482, a failed mission to Venus from the former Soviet Union that stalled in Earth orbit in the 1970s, is about to fall back to our planet. Exactly where or when it will strike, however, remains unknown
Here’s What Einstein Would Tell Trump
Einstein offers a lesson for scientists who are protesting an out-of-control nationalist administration attacking U.S. science today
The Scary Implications of U.S. Government Attacks on Medical Journals
A Trump-aligned prosecutor’s attack on medical journals is a threat to your health care—and the medical establishment should not comply
This Cutting-Edge Encryption Originates in Renaissance Art and Math
The mathematics underpinning the modern method of elliptic curve cryptography originated with Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi
Solar Shadow Play, Seances for Science, and More from Our 1925 Coverage
We present a historical romp through Scientific American—100 years ago.
Quantum Physics Is on the Wrong Track, Says Breakthrough Prize Winner Gerard ’t Hooft
After netting the world’s highest-paying science award, preeminent theoretical physicist Gerard ’t Hooft reflects on his legacy and the future of physics
Pioneering Female Doctor Evangelina Rodríguez Faced a Dictator’s Reign of Terror
Beginning in the 1930s, the work—and eventually the life—of Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo, the Dominican Republic’s first female doctor, became threatened by the country’s then new dictator