Scientific American Magazine

Gonorrhea, syphilis and other infections still exact a terrible toll. Social conditions help to fuel the new epidemics—and only a combination of social and health programs can defeat them

How experiments at CERN and SLAC, using electron-positron collisions, showed that there are only three families of fundamental particles in the universe

The brain transforms sensory messages into conscious perceptions almost instantly. Chaotic, collective activity involving millions of neurons seems essential for such rapid recognition

Recent progress has yielded "soft" X-ray instruments whose resolution is 10 times better than that of optical microscopes. They offer a new way to observe minute structures and to perform chemical analysis

This egg-laying mammal, also called the spiny anteater, has lived in relative obscurity in the Australian bush. Now secrets of its natural history and reproductive behavior are being explored

Advanced modeling and rendering algorithms allow designers and clients to walk through buildings long before construction

A complex interplay of string, wood, air and the human ear produces the swirling sound of the harpsichord

Scientists are having a hard time agreeing on when, where and—most important—how life first emerged on the earth