Scientific American Magazine

Astronomers are coming to realize that the beautiful shapes of galaxies are not merely incidental. They are essential to the galaxies' growth and development

Wireless access to the Internet via Wi-Fi is increasingly popular, so the technology is being upgraded to ensure that users get prompt, reliable service

A special class of genetic mutations that often cause human disease is enabling scientists to trace the migration and growth of specific human populations over thousands of years

A familiar class of cell-surface receptors turns out to offer an array of fresh targets that could yield new treatments for disorders ranging from HIV infection to obesity

The work of Jose Delgado, a pioneering star in brain-stimulation research four decades ago, goes largely unacknowledged today. What happened?

The textbook view that the earth spent its first half a billion years drenched in magma could be wrong. The surface may have cooled quickly--with oceans, nascent continents and the opportunity for life to form much earlier

The search is on for a sensor that bests a canine at detecting explosives