BALTIMORE--The generic line on dark matter is that nobody really knows what it is because nobody has seen it. The former claim remains basically unassailable--there are many forms dark matter could take
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Feed SubscriptionBringing back the "apparently dead"
In their August 28th, 1869 issue, Scientific American listed some techniques to aid in restoring breath to “persons apparently dead from drowning.” The methods were given by Professor Benjamin Howard and were sanctioned by the Metropolitan Board of Health of the city of New York. [More]
Read More »Bring Science Home: A message from Mariette DiChristina
Through the month of May, Scientific American Editor-in-Chief Mariette DiChristina presents Bring Science Home - a series of fun science activities parents and kids ages 6-12 can do together using household items.
Read More »Welcome to Scientific American ‘s Citizen Science Initiative!
You don't need an advanced degree in physics or biology to participate in scientific research, just a curiosity about the world around you and an interest in observing, measuring and reporting what you hear and see. The Internet makes it easy these days to take part as an amateur in sophisticated science projects around the world, and now Scientific American is making it even easier for you to find the right one through our new Citizen Science initiative
Read More »Protect yourself from the confidence man’s moonshine
With the rising popularity of the radio and increased interest in broadcasting, Scientific American began running a section called “Radio Notes” which appeared monthly. [More]
Read More »The Orderly Chaos of Proteins [Video]
The traditional view of proteins is that, right after being synthesized, they must fold into a unique shape to function properly. Unstructured proteins, according to biological orthodoxy, are pathological
Read More »7 Ways to Cultivate Your Creativity [Slide Show]
Creativity is a sought-after commodity among employers and those seeking personal or professional fulfillment. It comes in handy not only while concocting works of art and literature but also in planning a corporate event or devising a new business strategy.
Read More »Slow and steady (almost) wins the race
The "Inventions" section of the December 27th, 1919, issue of Scientific American featured a new model of the bicycle invented by Mr. C. H
Read More »Maryn McKenna answers questions about antibiotic resistance
Award-winning science journalist Maryn McKenna participated in a live online chat about antibiotic resistance with Scientific American 's Facebook page fans on April 11. Fingers flew fast as dozens of participants peppered McKenna with comments and questions about her story, " The Enemy Within: A New Pattern of Antibiotic Resistance ," in our April issue, and related topics. [More]
Read More »Rock stars from coastal California’s past
California is home to many natural wonders due to its varied climate and topography which includes both forest and costal lands. For the July 6, 1901 issue of Scientific American , author, big-game fisher, and former curator at the American Museum of Natural History Charles F. Holder wrote a piece on some of the interesting and beautiful results of erosion on California’s Southern coast
Read More »For those wishing to travel light by land and by sea
Whereas this August 23, 1919, Scientific American article acknowledged that there wasn’t anything particularly novel about a portable boat, the convenience offered by the one invented by Mr.
Read More »Computer restoraton of juvenile art, by Ricardo Chiav’inglese
Back in 1995, a few of the editors at Scientific American decided to resurrect a tradition of a previous generation of editors, who saw fit to publish a joke column in each April issue. This particular April Fools piece came to be with a little luck: back then. as the editor of the Amateur Scientist column, I use to look for projects that gave some hands-on insight to one of the feature articles in the same issue
Read More »NIST debuts online museum of quantum voltage standards
On April 8, 2011, the scientific community will celebrate the centennial of the discovery of superconductivitythe ability of certain materials to conduct electricity without resistance when cooled below a specific temperature.
Read More »My Big Tall Greek Giant
The Scientific American supplement from December 4th, 1886 featured a drawn reproduction of a photograph taken of Amanab, the “Greek Giant.” Amanab was born in 1868 near Kerassond in Trebizonde--a successor state of the Byzantine Empire located on the Southern shore of the Black Sea. At the time of the article, he was 18 years old and measured 7 feet 9 inches in height, had a head circumference of 26
Read More »Cracking down on smut in the late 1850’s
While there may be many interpretations of what a smut machine is or does, the one I’ll be talking about is the invention featured in the April 2, 1859 issue of Scientific American .
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