Scientific American Magazine

Loans cause great human hardship, but their connection to ecological troubles is hard to prove

Packing the energy equivalent of a stick of dynamite, powerful electromagnets around the globe compete to advance our knowledge of materials science and physics

It retards growth and intellectual development in millions of children yet is largely ignored by researchers. New findings suggest excellent possibilities for a vaccine

Computer experiments show how cooperation rather than exploitation can dominate in the Darwinian struggle for survival

Scholarly detective work reveals the secret of a full-size drawing chiseled into an ancient pavement. The "blueprint" describes one of Rome's most famous buildings

Nuclei having excess neutrons or protons teeter on the edges of nuclear stability, known as drip lines. Under this stress, some develop a halo

Many organisms, from sea squirts to primates, can identify their relatives. Understanding how and why they do so has prompted new thinking about the evolution of social behavior

Can science achieve a unified theory of complex systems? Even at the Santa Fe Institute, some researchers have their doubts