Scientific American Magazine

The sad truth is that no one knows. The answer is relevant to efforts to conserve biological diversity and could illuminate crucial questions about evolution and management of the environment

For ages, mathematicians have searched for a system that would allow two people to exchange messages in absolute secrecy. Quantum mechanics has now joined forces with cryptology to achieve a major step in that direction

The varied and subtle symptoms of this potentially lethal disorder humble many who scale the summits. But the problem is often preventable

Histones were once dismissed as little more than packing material for nuclear DNA. In fact, these proteins can both repress and facilitate activation of many genes

With siren songs and chemical lures, some butterfly caterpillars attract ants to serve as their guardians. Those same ants are usually involved in symbioses with other insects and plants as well

Thin sheets of diamond, grown {rom a low-pressure gas and doped with impurities, may serve as the basis for a new generation of electronic devices

Although meat eating helped to shape the evolution of human brains, behavior and toolmaking, our early ancestors seem to have been better scavengers than hunters

Educators are planning a revolution in science teaching. They face an uphill struggle.