scientific american

How tear gas works: A rundown of the chemicals used on crowds

By Angus Chen, Scientific American

There are two broad types of tear gas—and they’re both engineered to cause pain.

From pine cones to hobbit holes, mimicking nature can help humans adapt to wildfires

By Andrea Thompson, Scientific American

One of the biggest reasons wildfires are creating such huge disasters in recent years is the expansion of the West’s population into fire-prone wildland areas.

How do bomb squads assess a suspicious package?

By Prachi Patel , Scientific American

Explosives experts use a combination of x-ray scans, chemical swabs and other tools to evaluate the parcel.

Missing tape discovery solves 40-year lunar mystery

By Nola Taylor Redd, Scientific American

Traces of the Apollo astronauts’ presence lingered long after they left.

This scientist chases wildfires to better predict fire behavior

By Andrea Thompson, Scientific American

To know what a wildfire might do next, researchers need to know how an inferno interacts with the atmosphere.

These tiny worms can survive forces 400,000 times stronger than Earth’s gravity

By Katherine Kornei, Scientific American

New findings give some weight to the idea that life was blasted here from another planet.

Effort to diversify medical research raises thorny questions of race

By Maya Miller, Scientific American

A federal study aiming to collect the health information of one million U.S. residents is limited by the very problems it hopes to solve.

Will geoengineering to cool the planet harm crops?

By Annie Sneed, Scientific American

Solar geoengineering would ease heat stress, but also block vital sunlight for plants, according to a new study published Wednesday.

Mars has a giant hidden lake. Could there be life in it?

By Lee Billings, Scientific American

Deep beneath the frigid surface of its southern ice cap, Mars holds a lake of liquid water nearly three times larger than the island of Manhattan.

Popular National Parks experience as much ozone pollution as major cities

By Daniel Ackerman, Scientific American

A new study shows ozone levels in National Parks are similar to the levels in the largest U.S. cities. But most of this ozone may originate outside of the parks.