Policy
Readers Respond to the August 2022 Issue
Letters to the editor for the August 2022 issue of Scientific American
Policy16693 articles archived since 1845
Politics
How Stochastic Terrorism Uses Disgust to Incite Violence
Pundits are weaponizing disgust to fuel violence, and it’s affecting our humanity
Culture
Twitter Is Not Rocket Science—It’s Harder
Elon Musk wants to run Twitter like SpaceX. But human behavior will make it much more difficult
Policy
Political Leaders Must Act Now to Thwart the Next Pandemic
To make sure that COVID is the last pandemic of such devastation, political leaders must change their mindset and take these actions
Policy
Readers Respond to the July 2022 Issue
Letters to the editor for the July 2022 issue of Scientific American
Climate Change
These Election Results Offer Clues about What’s Next for Climate Politics
Seven races help illustrate how the landscape for climate action may change in Congress and in several states
Policy
Internet and Extremism Experts Predict More Hate Speech and Conspiracy Theories on Musk’s Twitter
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, extremists could flock back to Twitter under the guise of “free speech,” and researchers are gearing up to study their impact
Health Care
How Medical Systems Can Help People Vote
Hospitals and health care workers are making voter engagement a part of whole-person health care
Policy
News Briefs from around the World: November 2022
The beginnings of agriculture in Turkey, the bitter origins of watermelon, a giant deep-sea isopod found in Mexico and more in this month’s Quick Hits
Politics
On Election Day, Vote for Candidates with Science-Based Policies, Not Politicians Who Ignore Evidence
Some office seekers have positions based on research and facts, whereas others stand on assumptions and bias
Policy
The Most Urgent Science, Health and Climate Issues in the 2022 Midterm Elections
The midterm elections have high stakes for issues such as abortion rights, pandemic funding, climate change and other fundamental policies
Education
Why Scientists Must Stand for Affirmative Action and against Scientific Racism
The Supreme Court could destroy affirmative action in higher education, and STEM professionals must stand against the white supremacy and scientific racism that fuels arguments against it...
Climate Change
To Survive More Frequent Hurricanes, Puerto Rico Needs to Rethink Preparedness
Our leaders ignored the lessons learned from Hurricane Maria, and Fiona caused more destruction than it should have
Policy
Fights between U.S. States and the National Government Are Endangering Public Health
American federalism has destabilized the balance between states’ and federal rights, thwarting effective response to the nation’s health threats
Policy
Fun Details about the Human Side of Science
The Thwaites Ice Shelf is cracking up, humans learned to walk many times, and covert consciousness can be detected in unresponsive patients
Privacy
How Iran Is Using the Protests to Block More Open Internet Access
The Iranian government is taking advantage of Internet shutdowns to push citizens onto a local intranet that is vulnerable to surveillance and censorship
Climate Change
U.S. Secretary of the Interior: Satellites Will Help Us Fight Climate Change
As USGS takes over operations of a Landsat satellite, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland explains how the data gathered will help the Biden administration’s climate change plans...
Public Health
Understanding Morals Is Key to Accepting Safe Injection Sites
While controversial, safe injection sites help people who need them, and applying moral foundations theory to others’ hesitations could help sway the public
Climate Change
First ‘Kids’ Climate Trial Will Be Heard in Montana
A youth-led climate change lawsuit against the state of Montana is scheduled to be heard in June and could be the first of its kind in the U.S.
Water
SCOTUS Hears a Case with Broad Implications for the Clean Water Act
As the new term begins, the Supreme Court debates what wetlands should be protected under one of the EPA’s most successful and controversial efforts
