Scientific American Magazine

Over a fifth of the universe is hidden from view, blocked by dust and stars in the disk of our galaxy. But over the past few years,

These compounds--also called SERMs-- have evolved from mere laboratory curiosities into drugs that hold promise for preventing several major disorders in women

Loathsome though they may seem, hagfishes may also resemble the earliest animals to have a braincase--making them even older than the first animals to develop a backbone

In 1999 new accelerators will start searching for violations in a fundamental symmetry of nature, throwing open a window to physics beyond the known

Colonies of bacteria or amoebas form complex patterns that blur the boundary between life and nonlife

The most celebrated American astronomer of the late 19th century advocated broad social and cultural reforms based on the use of scientific method

Port scanners, core dumps and buffer overflows are but a few of the many weapons in every sophisticated hacker's arsenal. Still, no hacker is invincible

Three types of safeguards offer a formidable defense against Internet intruders

E-mail and other information sent electronically are like digital postcards--they afford little privacy. Well-designed cryptography systems can ensure the secrecy of such transmissions

One of the pioneers of computer security says the U.S. government should keep its hands off cryptography