Psychedelic Chemist & `Godfather of Ecstasy' Alexander Shulgin Dies at 88
Alexander Shulgin, chemist and renowned psychonaut who acquainted the world with the drug MDMA - or Ecstasy - died Monday evening at his home in Lafayette, Calif.
LEGO to Produce Female Scientist Minifigure Set
Two and a half years ago, the LEGO Corporation made a move that set into motion a chain of events that has led, circuitously but unambiguously, to the following exciting announcement, released yesterday via YouTube: In late summer or early fall of 2014, the company will release to the public an official set of female [...]
Talking Death with the Late Psychedelic Chemist Sasha Shulgin
Alexander Shulgin, the most prolific psychedelic chemist in history, has died at the age of 88. I interviewed Shulgin and his wife and co-researcher Ann at their home in California in 1999, when I was researching my 2003 book Rational Mysticism.
The Legend of Old Tom and the Gruesome "Law of the Tongue"
This is the story of an orca named Old Tom, who during the early 20th century spent almost four decades helping fishermen catch baleen whales off the coast of Australia.
Nobel Prize of Neutron Discoverer to Be Sold at Auction
The 1935 Nobel Prize awarded to physicist James Chadwick for his discovery of the neutron was set to be offered today
Even Einstein Was a Fool in Love
NEW YORK—When it came to relationships, Albert Einstein was no Einstein. In fact, the famous genius's romantic entanglements could rival the dysfunction of a typical Jerry Springer guest.
Book Review: Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Meeting of the Puzzlers
Hundreds get together to celebrate Martin Gardner and recreational math
The Outbreak of World War I
In Honor of Linnaeus, a Rogue’s Gallery of New Species
Today is the birthday of one of my science heroes: Carl Linnaeus. Born on May 23, 1707, the Swede turned natural history from a hobby into a science with his masterful systemization and documentation of what had until then been haphazard classification of plants, animals and fungi.
Hunting the Wild Neutrino
Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana, of the University of Toronto, talks about his new book Neutrino Hunters: The Thrilling Chase for a Ghostly Particle to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
How New York City Grew Rich with Water [Excerpt]
New York City struggled to overcome water pollution as Ted Steinberg details in his new book Gotham Unbound