News

Why Hurricane Names Are Retired

Deaths or excessive damage put Katrina, Maria, Harvey and other monikers out of circulation Credit: Will ChaseAdvertisement Since 1950, when…

5 years ago

Coronavirus News Roundup, August 15-August 21

The items below are highlights from the free newsletter, “Smart, useful, science stuff about COVID-19.” To receive newsletter issues daily…

5 years ago

Scientific American vs. the Supernatural

In 1922 Scientific American announced a high-stakes international contest to find scientific proof of ghosts. The competition offered $5,000,and it…

5 years ago

Recipe for a Busy Hurricane Season: Warmer Water, Cleaner Air

Editor’s Note (8/21/20): Tropical Depression 13 has now strengthened and become Tropical Storm Laura. Peak Atlantic hurricane season began yesterday.…

5 years ago

Mauritians Launch Rescue to Save Wildlife from Oil Spill

Beau Bassin–Rose Hill, Mauritius—Nearly two weeks after the Japanese-owned, Panamanian-flagged ship MV Wakashio ran aground off the coast of Mauritius…

5 years ago

When Scientific American Made M. C. Escher Famous

Scientific American September 2020In the 1960s Martin Gardner helped to turn the artist M. C. Escher into a sensationBetween 1957…

5 years ago

How an Article about the H-Bomb Landed Scientific American in the Middle of the Red Scare

On April 1, 1950, the New York Times carried a sensational front-page headline, “U.S. Censors H-Bomb Data; 3,000 Magazine Copies…

5 years ago

The Surprising Advantages of Virtual Conferences

It’s easy to see why people don’t love the idea of virtual conferences. Sitting for hours behind a computer screen,…

5 years ago

Lidar Advances Show Mosquito Rush Hours

During a 2016 solar eclipse, a team led by researchers at Sweden's Lund University projected a beam of infrared laser…

5 years ago

Visualizing 175 Years of Words in Scientific American

Special ReportSpecial ReportA graphical tour of popular words paired with key moments in the history of the magazineArts & CultureHow…

5 years ago