Science in an Election Year
Scientific American rates the candidates' answers to 14 science questions
Features
The Inner Life of Quarks
What if the smallest bits of matter actually harbor an undiscovered world of particles?
How to Grow a Retina from Stem Cells
Biologists have coaxed cells to form a retina, a step toward growing replacement organs outside the body
Is Global Warming Happening Faster Than Expected?
Loss of ice, melting of permafrost and other climate effects are occurring at an alarming pace
Fossil Finds Trace the History of Penguins
Recent fossil discoveries reveal the surprising evolutionary history of penguins
Antiscience Beliefs Jeopardize U.S. Democracy
The United States faced down authoritarian governments on the left and right. Now it may be facing an even greater challenge from within
Are Geeky Couples More Likely to Have Kids with Autism?
Children of scientists and engineers may inherit genes that not only confer intellectual talents but also predispose them to autism
Humans Think Like Quantum Particles
Quantum theory once seemed like the last nail in the coffin of pure reason. Now it's looking like its savior
Departments
Future Jobs Depend on a Science-Based Economy
Misadventures in Evolutionary Political Theory
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
- From the Editor
Of Quarks and (Presidential) Men
- Advances
Can a Pill Treat Autism?
Astronomical Surveys Pinpoint Our Place in the Cosmos
A New Scale Weighs Single Molecules in Real Time
Robo Roaches May Rescue Earthquake Victims
Freshwater Fish Are Dying at Alarming Rates
What Is It?
Recession Forces Districts to Cut Back on Lifesaving Vaccinations
Mustard’s Kick May Help It Ward Off Pests
Patent Watch: Human Detection and Tracking System
Dogs That Chase Their Tails May Have OCD
Fickle Fairies: A Biologist Discusses Promiscuous Birds and Human Evolution
A New Robo Surgeon Requires Just 1 Incision
A New Rubberlike Material May Replace Damaged Cartilage
A Woman’s Caloric Restrictions May Explain Why Babies Are Born at Nine Months
Russians Design a Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker to Dominate the Arctic
Voyager 1 Sends Back Conflicting Data as It Approaches Interstellar Space
- Forum
Why Genes Don’t Predict Voting Behavior
- The Science of Health
Virtues of the Virtual Autopsy
- TechnoFiles
Does a Public “Find My iPhone” Search Violate Personal Privacy?
- Recommended
Recommended: The Logician and the Engineer
Recommended: Brain on Fire
Recommended: Drinking Water
Recommended: The Particle at the End of the Universe
Recommended: Also notable
- Skeptic
What Milgram’s Shock Experiments Really Mean
- Graphic Science
RFID Tags Track Possible Outbreak Pathways in the Hospital
