The Origin of the Ocean Floor
The deep basins under the oceans are carpeted with lava that spewed from submarine volcanoes and solidified. Scientists have solved the mystery of how, precisely, all that lava reaches the seafloor
Features
How Meat Contributes to Global Warming
Producing beef for the table has a surprising environmental cost: it releases prodigious amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases
Exploring the Folds of the Brain--And Their Links to Autism
New studies are revealing how the brain's convolutions take shape. The findings could aid the diagnosis and treatment of autism, schizophrenia and other mental disorders
The Efficient Future of Deep-Space Travel--Electric Rockets
Efficient electric plasma engines are propelling the next generation of space probes to the outer solar system
Do Naked Singularities Break the Rules of Physics?
The black hole has a troublesome sibling, the naked singularity. Physicists have long thought--hoped--it could never exist. But could it?
Departments
A Molecular Checkup: The Nano Future of Medicine
A Skeptic's Take on the Public Misunderstanding of Darwin
Using Chaos Theory to Revitalize Fisheries
The Unkempt Results of Post-9/11 Airport Security Rules
Transforming the Auto Industry [Extended Version]
Nanomedicine--Revolutionizing the Fight against Cancer
150 Years Ago: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution
Amnio Alternative
Ask The Experts
- Letters
The 3-Door Monty Hall Problem
Readers Respond on "The Search for Intelligence"
- Advances
"Lazy Eye" Treatments Provide New Insight on Brain Plasticity
Fighting the Plague in the Great Plains with Gerbils
New Fossil Shows How the Turtle Got Its Shell
Ocean Acidification from CO2 Is Happening Faster Than Thought
Hurdles Facing Unused Prescription Drug Repositories
Updates: Whatever Happened to the Risk for Another Indian Ocean Tsunami?
Removing Roads and Traffic Lights Speeds Urban Travel
Quantum Entanglement Benefits Exist after Links Are Broken
New Kind of Thermometer
Bug vs. Bug
Rx Generics via Electronics
Booby Traps for Bacteria
- Recommended
Scientific American Reviews: In Search of Time
- Perspectives
How Obama Can Boost the Economy by Investing in Science
- In Brief
Data Points: Truncated Lives
In Brief, February 2009
- Working Knowledge
Smart Phones: Touch Screens Redefine the Market
