Scientific American Magazine

What makes some ceramics superconductive?

When do master genes regulate cell growth?

Can computer networks handle the traffic?

Will statistical analysis of DNA pinpoint human origins ?

Black holes power the brightest galaxies, but how?

Is there unexpected order in the cosmos ?

How often did mass extinctions reshape evolution?

Are antibodies the most effective defense against AIDS?

Can environmentalism be a strategic advantage ?

Will jet engines create a market for advanced materials ?

Can seismologists predict earthquakes?

How do nerve cells communicate?

American schools could benefit from the teaching styles and institutional structures used in Asia-many of which were pioneered here

Cooling and trapping of these particles at energies one ten-billionth of what was feasible six years ago should make possible production of the first antimatter atoms

Biochemists have harnessed Darwinian evolution on a molecular scale. Through cycles of selection, amplification and mutation, populations of macromolecules can be pushed to evolve toward any functional goal

When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World, he brought with him a rich load of cultural preconceptions that strongly influenced his perceptions of the land and its inhabitants

How the voice works was largely unknown until modern technology became available. New instruments are now improving the care and treatment of the voice

Laboratory microcosms of the commercial world shed light on the principles that govern trading and suggest ways to make real markets more effective

Nonhuman primates, such as vervet monkeys, seem to communicate in ways that resemble aspects of human speech. But they do not seem to recognize mental states in others

To a great extent, the answer is written in our genes. But which ones? New research offers tantalizing clues.