Scientific American Magazine

10 big advances that will improve life, transform computing and maybe even save the planet

Software that translates eye movement into commands to control devices could be a boon for motion-impaired people

Conductive polymer mesh could be a boon to brain research

A new method identifies every virus in a given sample with near-perfect accuracy

After decades of slow progress and massive investment, some fusion power researchers are changing tactics

A genetic kill switch could prevent industrial espionage and environmental contamination

A multipurpose mirror sucks up heat and beams it into outer space

Deep-learning technology is helping A.I. fulfill its promise

Infrared spectroscopy and computer simulations reveal the hidden world of solvent-solute interactions

Bouncing photons let cameras see beyond the line of sight

Scientific American came out 170 years ago celebrating the individual tinkerer and wound up bearing witness to major technological upheaveals in the nation and the world

Since 1845, Scientific American has chronicled ideas and inventions that have changed the world. On the following pages, we present highlights from our archives on evolution, the cosmos, the brain and other topics, including a few written for us by our 155 Nobel Prize–winning authors

The asteroid strike was bad. The timing was worse

Old grudges between three teams of astronomers have threatened the survival of ground-based astronomy's boldest, biggest projects

A children's clinic raised and supported by Amish and Mennonites proves that high-tech genetics research can be harnessed right now to prevent disease

Whether or not the world reaches an international emissions agreement, the U.S. government holds the real solution