Scientific American Magazine

Fire losses in the U.S. are the highest in the world. The reason is apparently the nation's high standard of living. Better protection calls basically for a better understanding of the mechanism of fire

The sex attractant of the female silk moth is detected by an array of receptors on the feathery antennae of the male. A nerve impulse in a receptor cell can be triggered by one molecule of attractant

The mapping of human genes and the study of how they are regulated is facilitated by an experimental substitute for sexual breeding: the fusion of human somatic cells with the cells of other mammals

Physicists now invoke four distinct kinds of interaction, or force, to describe physical phenomena. According to a new theory, two, and perhaps three, of the forces are seen to have an underlying identity

This halo of prismatic colors is most often seen around the shadow of an airplane on a cloud. Its cause is not the same as that of the common rainbow, and involves phenomena at the frontier of physics

The serine proteases act as catalysts in numerous processes, from the digestion of food to the clotting of blood. They have a common mode of action and apparently evolved from a common ancestor

The fascinating graphic inventions of the late Dutch artist reflect a strong mathematical and crystallographic influence. Their original inspiration, however, came from experiments on visual perception

The skulls of man and his precursors can be used as molds to make replicas of the brain. These casts indicate that man's brain began to differ from that of other primates some three million years ago