The Food Issue
It started as fuel, became a passion, ignited a global crisis—and made us human
A Scientific Feast of Articles about Our Relationship with Food
Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina introduces the September 2013 issue of Scientific American
Why Does Food Taste So Delicious?
Food is a primal, everyday part of our lives—yet rich with mystery
Case for (Very) Early Cooking Heats Up
Nearly two million years ago our ancestors began to barbecue. And those hot meals, Richard Wrangham argues, are what made us human
Invasive Species Menu of a World-Class Chef
What's the best way to control ecological pests? Feed them to the world's greatest predator—us
Is Obesity an Addiction?
New brain research is revealing why fats and sugars may be driving more and more people toward obesity
Processed Food: A 2-Million-Year History
It is the dark force, we're told, behind the obesity epidemic, the death of the family farm and Tang. But humans have been “processing” food ever since we learned how to cook, preserve, ferment, freeze, dry or extract...
Science Reveals Why Calorie Counts Are All Wrong
Digestion is far too messy a process to accurately convey in neat numbers. The counts on food labels can differ wildly from the calories you actually extract, for many reasons
What Makes You Fat: Too Many Calories, or the Wrong Carbohydrates?
Rigorously controlled studies may soon give us a definitive answer about what causes obesity—excessive calories or the wrong carbohydrates
Return of the Natives: How Wild Bees Will Save Our Agricultural System
Reviving native bee species could save honeybees--and our agricultural system--from collapse
Microbes Help Grow Better Crops
Enlisting bacteria and fungi from the soil to support crop plants is a promising alternative to the heavy use of fertilizer and pesticides
The Truth about Genetically Modified Food
Proponents of genetically modified crops say the technology is the only way to feed a warming, increasingly populous world. Critics say we tamper with nature at our peril. Who is right?
