July 2012 Issue
The science behind a scene in Charlotte's Web
Iranian, Israeli, Turkish and Arab physicists plan a joint accelerator
A satellite study pinpoints where leatherbacks and fishing trawlers cross paths
Faith and intuition are intimately related
A dreaded tropical disease is on the verge of eradication
Extramarital sex ups the risk of sudden death
An M.I.T. Media Lab professor talks about new wristbands that measure seizures
A common pesticide may interfere with a child's brain development
Why rankings are flawed
Allergies may have emerged to protect us from environmental toxins
Information bits from the news
Experts say we should bury leftover plutonium
After years of legal wrangling, the U.S. government says it will designate critical habitat for the jaguar
The global distribution of Nobel Prizes traces a shift from Europe to the U.S.
Letters to the editor from the March 2012 issue of Scientific American
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Outdated screening rules aren't making for safer skies—just longer lines
Planetary science is NASA's most successful and inspirational program. It should not be gutted
Doctors may be testing infants for too many diseases
Far from being a nagging exception to the rule of evolution, cooperation has been one of its primary architects
New techniques for teaching computers how to learn are beating the experts
Do animals other than humans have a sense of humor? Maybe so
A rare group of HIV-positive individuals need no medicine to keep the virus in check. Their good fortune could point the way to more powerful treatments--and perhaps a vaccine
The tools of science have changed since the golden age of physics, but many of the same questions remain
At 10:31 p.m. Pacific time on August 5, NASA'S Curiosity rover will begin the first direct search for habitable environments on Mars
Nimble robots like this Cheetah will help the military navigate terrain too rocky for wheels
As glaciers collapse toward the sea, scientists struggle to figure out how fast the southern continent is melting and what that means for sea-level rise
Solutions for the Freshwater Crisis
New technologies are helping to purify water contaminated by pathogens or polluted with chemical agents, such as those used to extract fossil fuels from the earth in hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking.
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