Features1827 articles archived since 1845

Antibiotic Resistance Is Taking Out "Last-Resort" Drugs Used to Combat Worrisome Category of Germs

How to tell the bad news from the really bad news

Jesting Our Limits: Do April Fools’ Day Pranks Alienate or Engage People?

Practical jokes and pranks serve to both test social bonds and bring groups together, researchers find

China Syndrome: Going Nuclear to Cut Down on Coal Burning

China pauses its plans to build the most new nuclear reactors in the world in the wake of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan--but will not halt them

Kids Take Their Best Shot (and Learn about Electronics in the Process) [Slide Show]

A Columbia computer science professor develops a build-it-yourself camera and educational Web site to promote science and engineering in young students

Health Care Myth Busters: Is There a High Degree of Scientific Certainty in Modern Medicine?

Two doctors take on the health care system in a new book that aims to arm people with information

Safety Concerns Often Amount to Status Quo at U.S. Nuclear Industry's Aging Reactors

Leaks, burst cooling pipes, faulty controls, misplaced fuel rods and engineers' warnings about design flaws have done little to slow down approvals for continued operation of the nation's aging nuclear plants...

Swiss Watchmaking: The View from 1861

Frederika Bremer gives the following picture of watchmaking in Geneva

Girl Power: Student-Made Bots Break Down Gender Barriers in Science and Engineering Competition [Slide Show]

Dean Kamen's FIRST robotics program celebrates 20 years of turning education into an arena sport

Cancer Metastasizes Globally: Additional Resources

Once thought to be endemic mostly to richer nations with their longer life expectancies, malignancies now confront denizens of lower and middle-income nations. A new global effort now focuses on the issue...

Money over Matter: Can Cash Incentives Keep People Healthy?

Losing weight or quitting smoking might just be a small bonus away

25 Years After: Scenes from Chernobyl--The Worst Nuclear Accident in History [Slide Show]

On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine, Scientific American frequent contributor Charles Q. Choi traveled to the site and snapped these haunting images...

From One Physicist to Another: Lawrence Krauss Reflects on the Life and Work of Richard Feynman

Fast Facts about Radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactors

Elevated radiation levels have been detected at and around the stricken nuclear power station in Japan, but the Chernobyl accident remains far more catastrophic

What Happens During a Nuclear Meltdown?

Nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi station in Japan are critically endangered but have not reached full meltdown status. Our nuclear primer explains what that means and how the situation compares with past nuclear accidents...

The Complex Origins of Food Safety Rules--Yes, You Are Overcooking Your Food

U.S. agencies recommend temperatures and times far beyond those supported by science