Social Sciences

Our anniversary celebration begins with an outstanding collection of stories about times that science itself has made a full about-face

Letters to the editors for the April 2025 issue of Scientific American

Huge fish; spiritualist rebuke

Total reversals in scientific thinking are rare—but earth-shattering

More and more kids are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for social interaction. We are scrambling to understand the pros and cons of their use

In his new book, Sam Kean reveals how re-creating ancient tools, techniques and traditions can unlock secrets about how our ancestors lived—and what they felt.

Ancient teeth found in Ethiopia belong to a never-before-seen species in the Australopithecus genus of human ancestors

Studies show that writing or expressing what we are feeling can help adults mentally and physically. Kids are no different

Explore the words of science past from Scientific American

Check out Scientific American’s fiction and nonfiction book recommendations for July

Dive into the quirkiest and most fascinating tales from Scientific American’s 180-year archive

Explore Scientific American’s most fascinating magazine covers