Behavior
Truth, Lies & Uncertainty
Searching for reality in unreal times
Features
Space & Physics
The Search for Truth in Physics
How close can physics bring us to a truly fundamental understanding of the world?
The Sciences
Is the Mathematical World Real?
Philosophers cannot agree on whether mathematical objects exist or are pure fictions
Neuroscience
The Neuroscience of Reality
Reality is constructed by the brain, and no two brains are exactly alike
Policy
How Professional Truth Seekers Search for Answers
Nine experts describe how they sort signal from noise
Evolution
Deception in the Animal Kingdom
Homo sapiens is not the only species that lies
Behavior
How Misinformation Spreads--and Why We Trust It
The most effective misinformation starts with seeds of truth
Behavior
Corruption Is Contagious
Dishonesty begets dishonesty, rapidly spreading unethical behavior through a society
Computing
How to Defraud Democracy
A worst-case cyberwarfare scenario for the 2020 American presidential election
Behavior
When Assessing Novel Risks, Facts Are Not Enough
How we make decisions in the face of incomplete knowledge and uncertainty
Behavior
How to Get Better at Embracing Unknowns
How to interpret uncertainty in common forms of data visualization
Behavior
The Search for Social Identity Leads to 'Us' versus 'Them'
Uncertainty in the world threatens our sense of self. To cope, people embrace populism
Computing
Misinformation Has Created a New World Disorder
Our willingness to share content without thinking is exploited to spread disinformation
Departments
- From the Editor
Science Communication 101
- Letters
Readers Respond to the May 2019 Issue
- Advances
Ancient, Pancake-Shaped Marine Animals Were on the Move
Perfect Crepes, by Way of Physics
Migrating Birds Provide Surprising Snacks for Sharks
Tiny Paintings Draw Color from Microscopic Cracks
Frogs Make Their Homes in Elephant Footprints
Scientists Tripped People for Science
Birds of a Feather Flap Faster to Stay Together
In Case You Missed It
Mapping HIV Prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Arsenic-Eating Fern Hints at Cleanup Solutions
"Particle" Robots Work Together to Perform Tasks
- Forum
Why Our Disabilities Make Us Better Scientists despite the Odds against Us
- The Science of Health
When Vitamin Pills Are Too Much of a Good Thing
- The Science Agenda
Everyone Is an Agent in the New Information Warfare
- Anti Gravity
Even If We Knew Everything That Can Be Known, We Wouldn't Know It All
- 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
Lunar Geology in 1969; Heaven "Located" in 1869
- Graphic Science
Graphics That Seem Clear Can Easily Be Misread
- Reviews
The History of Opium, Facing Up to Quantum Mechanics and Other New Science Books
- The Intersection
If You Want to Freak Out, Do a Web Search of Your Symptoms
- Ventures
Apple's Amazing New Screen
