Society & Policy13341 articles archived since 1845

Widely Used Herbicide Linked to Cancer

The World Health Organization's research arm declares glyphosate a probable carcinogen. What's the evidence?

Why the CDC Was Blasted over Lab Safety Violations

An interview with members of the committee that concluded the U.S. health agency is “on the way to losing credibility”

World's Forests Have Fragmented into Tiny Patches

Smaller, isolated chunks of forests can't sustain as much wildlife as one big connected region

Obama Administration Aims to Erase Science Talent Deficit

Attracting women and minorities to science-related fields is essential to meeting demand for high-tech workers

West Africa Unprepared for Future Health Crises Despite Ebola Aid

Health care is decimated, leaving the region more vulnerable than ever to infectious diseases

The Science of TED 2015

What I love about the annual TED gathering in Vancouver is the way science coexists along with art, social justice, popular song and the rest of TED's eclectic mix.

Political Football over Climate Change Rattles Windows of Ivory Tower

Politicians target academics with views that differ from their own on global warming

Teotihuacán's Social Tensions Contributed to Its Fall

The decline and abandonment of the Mexican metropolis may have been hastened by infighting among different cultural and socioeconomic groups. Cynthia Graber reports

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Confronting the 2-Body Career Problem [Poll Results]

Scientific American readers share their personal experiences with this enduring dilemma

Coastal Development Exposes Billions to Swelling Seas

Growth in coastal areas may expose more than a billion people to sea-level rise

With 6 Left, Controversial Fish Species Faces Extinction

Are we about to witness the extinction of the controversial delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus)? The most recent survey for the tiny fish, over which decades of battles over water rights have been fought, counted just four females and two males...

Marijuana Gears Up for Production High in U.S. Labs

Researchers will be able to obtain more powerful varieties of the drug courtesy of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Picasso: X-Rays Reveal the Master’s Materials

Every field has its raging debates among impassioned experts, and the art world is no exception. Case in point: some art historians long suspected that master painter Pablo Picasso used common house paint rather than the oil paints traditionally used in his era, which would make him the first known artist to do so...

Drinking Diet Soda Linked to a Widening Waistline with Age

People over age 65 who drink diet soda daily tend to expand their waistlines by much more than peers who prefer other beverages, possibly contributing to chronic illnesses that go along with excess belly fat...

Doctors' Unconscious Bias May Not Influence Their Decisions

Doctors may have biases for or against people of different races and social statuses, but those unconscious views don't overtly affect the care they deliver to their patients, a new study finds...

24-Year-Old NFL Player's Retirement Reignites Brain Injury Topic

Chris Borland's decision has provoked discussion of the types of brain damage that can occur including a severe degenerative disease abbreviated as CTE

Powdered Alcohol Now Legal in U.S.

The product, approved Tuesday by a government agency, yields a drink with the same alcohol content as a standard mixed drink, so some lawmakers are concerned

Satellite View of Spreading Darkness in Syria Reveals Worsening Crisis

5 Ways Energy Is Transforming U.S. Railroads

Trains aren't just carrying crude oil when it comes to energy

Fast-Growing Railroads Will Miss Safety System Deadline

U.S. railroads plan to spend to grow but they will still miss a legal deadline to deploy high-tech safety equipment by the end of 2015