Scientific American Magazine

A case is made for an energy regime in which all energy-sources would be used to produce hydrogen, which could then be distributed as a nonpolluting multipurpose fuel

The body's defense mechanism may not always be beneficial. In many cases the very process that should combat a virus is itself a cause of the damage associated with a viral disease

Observation of chimpanzees in the wild indicates that they not only eat plant foods but also hunt, kill and eat other mammals. Moreover, they display a well-developed pattern of sharing meat

The first spacecraft to go into orbit around another planet provides evidence that Mars is just beginning to heat up internally. Systems of channels and gullies suggest erosion by water or some other agent

Interactions among nerve cells keep the response range of the system in register with ambient illumination, enabling the retina to form a high-contrast neural image over a broad range of light conditions

Traditionally Judaism is regarded as a unified set of beliefs. New evidence indicates that between 200 B.C. and A.D. 100 its expressions were remarkably diverse, and some were even pagan

Inside crystals electrons and atoms act collectively to create waves described as quasiparticles. They help to determine whether a crystal is an insulator, a semiconductor, a conductor or a superconductor

The classic finely branched hexagonal crystal is only one of an almost infinite variety of shapes. Each form depends on the history of the snow crystal as it grows in a cloud