Scientific American Magazine

The controlled release of thermonuclear energy requires solving the problem of confining a hot plasma of electrons and positive ions. The problem is slowly yielding to analysis and experiment

The protein shell of a virus is an assembly of subunits. In simple viruses the subunits themselves may specify the shape of the shell. Complex viruses seem to be formed on an interior core, or scaffold

The observational evidence on these strange celestial objects presents many mysteries. The central question is still whether they are at the edge of the universe or relatively close to us

There is widespread concern that the noisy environment of modern man not only is distracting but also causes damage to the ear. What are the facts of the matter, and how can noise be brought under control?

Does an infant see things in the same general way adults do, or must he learn to do so? The question is taken up by means of conditioning experiments with infants, In which the reward is a cheery peekaboo

The city where Euripides died and Alexander the Great was born is gradually being uncovered by Greek archaeologists. Among their most striking finds are mosaics made of pebbles

The computer has made it possible to consider large numbers of characteristics in classifying many phenomena, notably living organisms, fossil organisms and even imaginary organisms

At the molecular level the seemingly rigid perfection of a crystal of ice is disrupted by an astonishingly busy traffic of molecules and migrating lattice faults