Scientific American Magazine

Hostile to life, the moon could be a haven for astronomy. Observatories on its surface could yield extraordinarily detailed views of the heavens and open new windows through which to study the universe

The first hormone of the immune system to be recognized, it helps the body to mount a defense against microorganisms by triggering the multiplication of only those cells that attack an invader

An atomic nucleus can spontaneously restructure itself, occasionally ejecting rare clusters of protons and neutrons. Observations of these new radioactivities have illuminated theories of nuclear dynamics

Earthquakes can strike even in stable crust, well away from the familiar earthquake zones at the edges of tectonic plates. What accounts for these enigmatic events?

Animals that filter their food out of the water can reap the abundance of plankton and grow in huge numbers or to enormous size

Rigorous, quantitative studies of psychotherapy are challenging certain widely held views of how the unconscious mind works and how patients in therapy make progress

The common ancestor of these languages has been traced to Asia rather than to Europe, the authors say. The once-clear distinction between the family's Eastern and Western branches is now blurred