Scientific American Magazine

The nucleic acid molecules inherited by the living cell bear the plan of all the cell's protein molecules. It now appears that another kind of nucleic acid plays a key role in translating the plan into protein

During the second and first millennia B.C. the inhabitants of Sardinia built thousands of conical stone towers. Called nuraghi, they show the influence of early Greek civilization

Far from being relatively inert stored material, fat tissue plays a central role in human metabolism, producing fat and constantly releasing it to be used as fuel by the working cells of the body

Astronomers have long believed that our galaxy is a giant spiral. By combining new optical techniques and radio evidence, they are now beginning to prove it

Information theory makes possible the programming of a computer to compose music. The process by which the machine does so throws light on musical structure and on the methods of human composers

Everything flows, including solids such as concrete and steel. The exact way in which a material flows is of practical concern to the technologist and a difficult problem for the physicist

How does the camel survive for weeks without drinking? Studies in the Sahara Desert have exploded some old legends and have elucidated the animal's remarkably parsimonious water economy

Certain amoebae gather to form a mass of spores and a stalk. The way in which spore cells and stalk cells segregate may shed light on how the cells of many-celled organisms differentiate into various types