Biden Must Take Immediate Action to Reduce the Risk of Nuclear War
The continuing proliferation of atomic weapons threatens the safety of billions
Policy & Ethics16488 articles archived since 1845
Major Physics Society Will Not Meet in Cities with Racist Policing Records
The American Physical Society’s new criteria for conference venues seem to be unique among scientific societies
Cost of Carbon Pollution Pegged at $51 a Ton
The Biden Administration raised the benchmark, and may do it again within a year
NASA Needs to Rename the James Webb Space Telescope
The successor to the Hubble honors a man who took part in the effort to purge LGBT people from the federal workforce
America’s Immigration System Is a COVID Superspreader
ICE detention centers have some of the worst outbreaks in the country, endangering immigrants, staff and local communities
Expert Opinion Can’t Be Trusted if You Consult the Wrong Sort of Expert
The failure of the U.S. to respond appropriately to the pandemic could have been predicted if anyone had bothered to ask social scientists
Black Inventor Garrett Morgan Saved Countless Lives with Gas Mask and Improved Traffic Lights
In 1916 he strapped on his “safety hood” and dragged rescuers to safety, but racism prevented him from being hailed as a hero
How to Make ‘Immunity Passports’ More Ethical
Requirements that travelers be vaccinated must be implemented in a humanitarian way
Stop Domestic Terrorism
Our national leaders must take on racist-driven violence in the U.S.
Facebook Would Rather Ban News in Australia Than Pay for it
The tech giant’s ban on Australians searching for news on its platform suggests that equitable control of international reporting is very much a work in progress
Physicists Need to Be More Careful with How They Name Things
The popular term “quantum supremacy,” which refers to quantum computers outperforming classical ones, is uncomfortably reminiscent of “white supremacy”
The U.S. Needs a Federal Department of Science and Technology
Currently, STEM-related policy is administered by a bewildering array of entities, which dilutes its effectiveness
U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement
The Biden Administration aims to strengthen the country’s emissions reduction pledge under the pact by Earth Day
Biden Channels FDR on STEM Policy
The president’s letter to his new science adviser emphasizes the crucial role science plays in our society—much as Roosevelt did in a similar missive in 1944
Virtual Conferences Aren’t as Accessible as You Might Think
They have some advantages for people with disabilities—but plenty of problems as well
Will Quantum Computers Truly Serve Humanity?
Let’s take advantage of this early stage of their development to avoid the mistakes of past technological upheavals
The Dark Side of CRISPR
Its potential ability to “fix” people at the genetic level is a threat to those who are judged by society to be biologically inferior
Social Justice Movements, Exomoons and a Century of Bird Banding
What we’re learning about how solar systems and civilizations developed
Readers Respond to the October 2020 Issue
Letters to the editor from the October 2020 issue of Scientific American
How President Biden Can Deliver on His Vaccine Promise to Communities of Color
It will require the federal government to use a scientific, data-driven system for identifying those most in need
