Can Science Solve Terrorism? Q&A with Psychologist John Horgan
For years, I’ve been getting e-mails from people who praise my brilliant research on terrorism and then ask me tough questions about the topic
"security"
Is It Time to Rethink Life-without-Parole Sentencing?
If violent criminal tendencies peak during the teen years and seldom extend to midlife, should we still lock people up and throw away the key?
A Survey Asks: How Much Does Your Privacy Online Matter?
Is online anonymity important to you? How far are you willing to go to protect your privacy? These two the key questions are examined in a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
Scientific American Editor’s Picks for the Top Tech Stories of 2014
Wallets, wreckage and digital coin. Before the new year appears, let's look at some of the most important technology stories Scientific American covered over the past 12 months.
Science Far from Center Stage in Obama's State of the Union
President Barack Obama's sixth State of the Union address, his first before a Republican-led legislature, was studded this evening with references to science and technology amidst talk of middle class tax cuts, thawing U.S.
How Hard Is It to Catch a Fake Passport?
Imagine that you are a bouncer, checking IDs outside a popular bar in a college town. It is somewhat dark outside the door, there are many distractions: loud music is playing and your job requires you to also keep an eye on the crowd for trouble.
How to Reconcile Big Data and Privacy
In many ways "big data" and "encryption" are antithetical. The former involves harvesting, storing and analyzing information to reveal patterns that researchers, law enforcement and industry can use to their benefit.
Poor Oversight Catches Up with High-Security Infectious Agent and Disease Labs
The Centers for Disease Control plans to take measures to better protect lab workers and the rest of us from dangerous biological samples
![Satellites Spy on Washington from on High [Slide Show]](/sciam/cache/file/288DF172-35FD-4A69-B39A6121A0D14076_small.jpg)
Satellites Spy on Washington from on High [Slide Show]
A satellite imaging company provides clear new pix of features on Earth's surface as India mulls the role played by such imagery in the deadly Mumbai attacks
Breaking Network Logjams
An approach called network coding could dramatically enhance the efficiency and reliability of communications networks. At its core is the strange notion that transmitting evidence about messages can be more useful than conveying the messages themselves
A Guardian "Agent" to Protect You From Digital Fraud
Today, maintaining privacy without guided assistance is an onerous task, whose initial costs are high, immediate rewards low and solutions fragile and constantly evolving.
Why Lasers Won’t Protect Airliners
Questions over the best way to protect civilian aircraft from surface-launched missiles have reemerged in light of the recent Malaysia Airlines tragedy over the Ukraine.
Is there more to locking up than personal safety?
Do you lock the door to your home when you're inside during the day? Or do you leave the door open if you are just running out for a minute?
Shopping Habits Reveal Personal Details in "Anonymized" Data
Details about where and when you use your credit card could help reveal your identity to data thieves—even if they don't know your name, address and other personal information.
3 Projects Prove Privacy Is Not Dead
Web and mobile phone users willingly share personal data in exchange for free stuff, but not everyone is ready to throw in the towel on privacy
How You Can Hide Your Smartphone Data from Thieves—and the Cops
A new software technique thwarts forensic software by making indiscernible changes in a handset’s operating system
Space Wars - Coming to the Sky Near You?
A recent shift in U.S. military strategy and provocative actions by china threaten to ignite a new arms race in space. But would placing weapons in space be in anyone's national interest?
![Yes We Scan: Have Post-9/11 Airport Screening Technologies Made Us Safer? [Slide Show]](/sciam/cache/file/B1118E43-063C-4595-B4EEC284F7FE1A9A_small.jpg)
Yes We Scan: Have Post-9/11 Airport Screening Technologies Made Us Safer? [Slide Show]
Airport security breaches on and after 9/11 have led to the continual advancement of technologies such as millimeter wave imaging and backscatter scanners to prevent future tragedies
Science Far from Center Stage in Obama’s State of the Union
President Barack Obama's sixth State of the Union address, his first before a Republican-led legislature, was studded this evening with references to science and technology amidst talk of middle class tax cuts, thawing U.S.
The Day the World's ATMs Stood Still--or Didn't
You're probably on tenterhooks wondering what will happen to your reliable, convenient ATM on April 8, the day Microsoft officially sticks a fork in its hugely popular Windows XP operating system.
