Scientific American Magazine

Human activities are clearly increasing the carbon dioxide content of the earth's atmosphere. The question is: Will enough carbon be stored in forests and the ocean to avert a major change in climate?

Improvements in design, materials and surgical methods have advanced the artificial knee to the point where it can provide substantial benefits to a person suffering from severe arthritis

This nucleic acid plays a key role in translating the genetic code into the sequence of amino acids in a protein. The determination of its structure has clarified the mechanism of protein synthesis

It used to be thought that the gas between the stars probably formed clouds. A pictorial analysis of radio signals from the gas now indicates that it is largely marshaled in huge shells

In nature (but not in laboratory cultures) bacteria are covered by a “glycocalyx” of fibers that adhere to surfaces and to other cells. Adhesion might be prevented by a new kind of antibiotic

Some mathematical problems can be solved only by methods too slow for even the fastest computers. More efficient methods have not been found, but neither has it been proved that there are no better methods

An international campaign of rescue archaeology at the ruined city is uncovering significant information about its successive roles as a Roman colony, Vandal prize and outpost of the Byzantine Empire

What are the visual cues that good readers use to recognize letters and words? Tests seeking such insights may provide a basis for instruction in more effective reading strategies