Scientific American Magazine

The spread of strategic weapons to unstable regions greatly increases the likelihood that they will be used. We cannot reverse the process and so must learn to manage its consequences

Yttrium1-barium2-copper3 oxide is only one of many new high-temperature superconductors. All have planes of copper and oxygen atoms, providing the perfect highways for electrons

Until the AIDS virus is defeated, hope for improving survival time and the quality of a patient's life will rest to a great extent on improved therapies for the opportunistic infections of AIDS

These unimaginably detailed structures are more than mathematical curiosities. Fractal geometry succinctly describes complex natural objects and processes

Atomic clusters can offer clues to freezing and melting. These aggregates of atoms or molecules—numbering from a few to a few hundred-can coexist as solids and liquids

Analysis of land and marine records confirms that our planet has warmed half a degree Celsius in the past century. Future warming trends, however, remain uncertain

As economic development accelerates damage to Maya murals, hand-painted replicas serve as vital archaeological sources

Thousands of plant species rely on ants to disperse their seeds. With special food lures and other adaptations, a plant can induce the insects to carry away its seeds without harming them