Scientific American Magazine

Continuing improvements in U.S. antisubmarine forces are becoming an important factor in the overall strategic military balance. They could well play a major role in future strategic-arms-limitation talks

Sowing seed and herbicide by air and exploiting other modern agricultural methods, California rice growers achieve remarkably high yields that play an important role in the world rice market

The elementary subunit of chromosome structure is a DNA superhelix wound on a spool made of histone proteins. Here is a report on the discovery of the nucleosome and the determination of its structure

Malfunctions of the immune system in which the body attacks its own tissues are now known to cause several enigmatic diseases. The details of such processes suggest new strategies of treatment

Variations in activity similar to the sun's 11-year sunspot cycle have been followed in 91 nearby stars. The study may reveal why the cycle arises and why it sometimes disappears, as the sun's cycle has in the past

Neither dinosaurs nor birds, these creatures were flying reptiles that endured for 135 mlllion years. The ones with wingspans of 12 meters are thought to have been the largest animals ever to fly

High-energy phenomena such as supernovas and X-ray double stars may emit a flood of neutrinos. An array of sensors shielded by five kilometers of water could selectively detect such particles

These unique terra-cotta figures date back 2,500 years. Associated with both stone tools and early iron-smelting furnaces, they raise questions about the function of art and the definition of a culture