View source for Scientific American

{{Short description|American monthly science magazine}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox journal
| title = Scientific American
| image = Scientific American LCCN2015645750.jpg
| caption = Cover of a 1905 issue
| alt = A magazine cover depicting a photorealistic view of the Earth, inserted into a melted ice cube, with the magazines masthead at top and a headline between the masthead and the Earth reading "Did Humans Stop an ICE AGE?" Beneath the headline in smaller type is the subheading "8,000 years of global warming"
| former_name =
| abbreviation = Sci. Am.
| discipline = [[Popular science]]
| peer-reviewed =
| language = [[American English|English]]
| publisher = [[Springer Nature]]
| country = United States
| history = Since {{start date and age|1845|8|28}}
| frequency = Monthly
| openaccess = Yes
| license =
| impact = 3.1
| impact-year = 2023
| ISSNlabel =
| ISSN = 0036-8733
| eISSN =
| CODEN =
| JSTOR =
| LCCN = sf92091111
| OCLC = 796985030
| website = {{Official URL}}
| boxwidth =
}}
[[File:Christian Schussele - Men of Progress - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg|thumb|"Men of Progress", published by the magazine in 1862, showing American inventors such as [[Samuel Morse]], [[Samuel Colt]], [[Cyrus McCormick]], [[Charles Goodyear]], [[Peter Cooper]], and others<ref>{{cite web |last=Sartain |first=John |date=1862 |url=https://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/digital/collection/p13110coll5/id/886/ |title=Men of Progress: American Inventors Presented to the Subscribers of the Scientific American |at=D 5 Men.1862 |type=Steel engraving |publisher=Boston Athenaeum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915182516/https://cdm.bostonathenaeum.org/digital/collection/p13110coll5/id/886/ |archive-date=September 15, 2024 }}</ref>]]
[[File:Scientific American office, 37 Park Row, New York, 1859.jpg|thumb|Scientific American Office, New York, 37 [[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]], 1859, next to Munn & Co. on the right]]

'''''Scientific American''''', informally abbreviated '''''SciAm''''' or sometimes '''''SA''''', is an American [[popular science]] magazine. Many scientists, including [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Nikola Tesla]], have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 [[Nobel Prize]]-winners having been featured since its inception.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Front Matter |magazine=Scientific American |volume=110 |issue=1 |date=1914 |jstor=26012562 }}</ref>

In print since 1845, it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. ''Scientific American'' is owned by [[Springer Nature]], which is a subsidiary of [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]].

== History ==
[[File:Interior of the Scientific American Office at 361 Broadway, New York, 1887, restored.jpg|thumb|Interior of ''Scientific American''{{'}}s office at 361 [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] in New York City]]
[[File:361 Broadway - James White Building (51522453870).jpg|thumb|''Scientific American''{{'s}} early office at [[361 Broadway]] in Manhattan]]
[[File:Woolworth Building 2a (6164626633).jpg|thumb|upright|A 2011 photo of ''Scientific American''{{'s}} office at the [[Woolworth Building]] in New York City, built in 1913 by [[Frank Winfield Woolworth]]<ref name="On the Move" />]]
[[File:Scientific American Building, 1926.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''[[Museum of the Peaceful Arts|Scientific American building]]'' at 24-26 West 40th Street, commissioned by [[Alfred Ely Beach#Munn & Co.|Munn and Co.]] in 1924<ref name="On the Move" />]]

''Scientific American'' was founded by inventor and publisher [[Rufus Porter (painter)|Rufus Porter]] in 1845<ref name="scientificamerican1">{{Cite magazine |date=August 17, 2009 |title=Press Room: About Us |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/aboutus.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119195853/http://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/aboutus.cfm |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=January 24, 2012 |magazine=Scientific American}}</ref> as a four-page weekly newspaper. The first issue of the large-format New York City newspaper was released on August 28, 1845.<ref name="scientificamerican2022">{{Cite magazine |last=Yam |first=Philip |date=August 17, 2009 |title=The Origin of Scientific American |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-origin-of-scientific/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828042624/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-origin-of-scientific/ |archive-date=August 28, 2022 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |magazine=Scientific American}}</ref>

Throughout its early years, much emphasis was placed on reports of what was going on at the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office|U.S. Patent Office]]. It also reported on a broad range of inventions including [[perpetual motion]] machines, an 1860 device for buoying vessels by [[Abraham Lincoln]], and the [[universal joint]], which now can be found in nearly every automobile manufactured. Current issues include a "this date in history" section, featuring excerpts from articles originally published 50, 100, and 150 years earlier. Topics include humorous incidents, wrong-headed theories, and noteworthy advances in the history of science and technology. It started as a weekly publication in August 1845 before turning into a monthly in November 1921.<ref>{{Cite web |editor-last=Ockerbloom |editor-first=John Mark |title=Scientific American archives |url=https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=sciam |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919020611/https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=sciam |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |access-date=July 21, 2020 |website=Penn Libraries |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania]]}}</ref>

Porter sold the publication to [[Alfred Ely Beach]], son of media magnate [[Moses Yale Beach]], and [[Orson Desaix Munn]], a mere ten months after founding it. Editors and co-owners from the [[Yale (surname)|Yale family]] included [[Frederick Converse Beach|Frederick C. Beach]] and his son, [[Stanley Yale Beach]], and from the Munn family, [[Charles Allen Munn]] and his nephew, [[Orson Desaix Munn II]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beach |first=Stanley |title=Archives at Yale, Stanley Yale Beach papers |url=https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/11/resources/850 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331233228/https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/11/resources/850 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |number=GEN MSS 802, 1911 – 1948, under "Additional Description" section : Stanley Yale Beach (1877 – 1955)}}</ref> Until 1948, it remained owned by the families under [[Alfred Ely Beach#Munn & Co.|Munn & Company]].<ref name="scientificamerican1" /> Under Orson Munn's grandson, Orson Desaix Munn III, it had evolved into something of a "workbench" publication, similar to the 20th-century incarnation of ''[[Popular Science (magazine)|Popular Science]]''.

In the years after World War II, the magazine fell into decline. In 1948, three partners who were planning on starting a new popular science magazine, to be called ''The Sciences'', purchased the assets of the old ''Scientific American'' instead and put its name on the designs they had created for their new magazine. Thus the partners{{mdash}}publisher [[Gerard Piel]], editor Dennis Flanagan, and general manager Donald H. Miller Jr. essentially created a new magazine.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lewenstein |first=Bruce V. |year=1989 |title=Magazine Publishing and Popular Science after World War II |journal=American Journalism |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=218–234 |doi=10.1080/08821127.1989.10731208}}</ref> Miller retired in 1979, Flanagan and Piel in 1984, when Gerard Piel's son Jonathan became president and editor; circulation had grown fifteen-fold since 1948. In 1986, it was sold to the [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] of Germany, which has owned it until the [[Springer Nature|Springer-Nature]] merger. In the fall of 2008, ''Scientific American'' was put under the control of Holtzbrinck's [[Nature Research|Nature Publishing Group]] division.<ref name="FOLIO">{{Cite web |last=Fell |first=Jason |date=April 23, 2009 |title=Scientific American Editor, President to Step Down; 5 Percent of Staff Cut |url=http://www.foliomag.com/2009/scientific-american-editor-president-step-down-5-percent-staff-cut |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407193643/http://www.foliomag.com/2009/scientific-american-editor-president-step-down-5-percent-staff-cut/ |archive-date=April 7, 2016 |access-date=April 26, 2009 |publisher=FOLIO }}</ref>

Donald Miller died in December 1998,<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 27, 1998 |title=Donald H. Miller |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/27/classified/paid-notice-deaths-miller-donald-h.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919020611/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/27/classified/paid-notice-deaths-miller-donald-h.html |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=Miller-Donald H., Jr. Vice President and General Manager of the magazine Scientific American for 32 years until his retirement in 1979. Died on December 22, at home in Chappaqua, NY. He was 84. Survived by his wife of 50 years, Claire; children Linda Itkin, Geoff Kaufman, Sheila Miller Bernson, Bruce Miller, Meredith Davis, and Donald H. Miller, M.D.; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and brother Douglas H. Miller. The memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 30, at 2 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester in Mount Kisco, NY.}}</ref> Gerard Piel in September 2004 and Dennis Flanagan in January 2005. [[Mariette DiChristina]] became editor-in-chief after [[John Rennie (editor)|John Rennie]] stepped down in June 2009,<ref name="FOLIO" /> and stepped down herself in September 2019. In April 2020, [[Laura Helmuth]] assumed the role of [[editor-in-chief]].

The magazine is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edmonds |first=Rick |date=August 27, 2015 |title=Can a magazine live forever? Scientific American, at 170, is giving it a shot |url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2015/can-a-magazine-live-forever-scientific-american-at-170-is-giving-it-a-shot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009192813/https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2015/can-a-magazine-live-forever-scientific-american-at-170-is-giving-it-a-shot/ |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |access-date=October 9, 2022 |website=[[Poynter.org|Poynter]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Edmonds |first=Rick |date=August 31, 2020 |title=Scientific American, the oldest U.S. magazine, hits another milestone as the appetite for science news heats up |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/scientific-american-the-oldest-u-s-magazine-hits-another-milestone-as-the-appetite-for-science-news-heats-up/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009192823/https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/scientific-american-the-oldest-u-s-magazine-hits-another-milestone-as-the-appetite-for-science-news-heats-up/ |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |access-date=October 9, 2022 |website=[[Poynter.org|Poynter]]}}</ref>

In 2009, the publisher notified collegiate libraries that yearly subscription prices for the magazine would increase by nearly 500% for print and 50% for online access to $1,500 yearly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howard |first=Jennifer |date=October 13, 2009 |title=College Library Directors Protest Huge Jump in 'Scientific American' Price |url=http://chronicle.com/article/College-Library-Directors/48794/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015062228/http://chronicle.com/article/College-Library-Directors/48794/ |archive-date=October 15, 2009 |access-date=October 14, 2009 |work=Chronicle of Higher Education}}</ref>

Offices of the ''Scientific American'' have included 37 [[Park Row (Manhattan)|Park Row]] in [[Manhattan]] and the [[Woolworth Building]] in 1915 when it was just finished two years earlier in 1913.<ref name="On the Move" /> The Woolworth Building was at the time one of the first skyscrapers in the city and the tallest one in the world.<ref name="On the Move">{{Cite web |title=Scientific American, on the Move 170 Years, 11 locations – A map of Scientific American's wanderings around Manhattan |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-on-the-move |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206051834/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-on-the-move/ |archive-date=February 6, 2023 |access-date=February 6, 2023}}</ref>

== International editions ==
''Scientific American'' published its first foreign-language edition in 1890 in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], titled ''La América Científica é Industrial'', but ended sometime in the early 1900s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=DiChristina |first=Mariette |date=June 16, 2015 |title=The Shadow Universe |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dark-matter-and-the-shadow-universe |journal=Scientific American |volume=313 |issue=1 |pages=4–4 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0715-4 |issn=0036-8733 |quote=Interestingly, the first Scientific American translated edition was started when the magazine was already 45 years old—in 1890!—La América Científica é Industrial. That edition was eventually folded, and it was some decades before we firmly established a series of translations that we see today.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1968, the Italian-language edition'', [[Le Scienze]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Useful links - Magazines on line |url=https://archivio.pubblica.istruzione.it/argomenti/gst/link_utili/link_riviste.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506011308/http://archivio.pubblica.istruzione.it/argomenti/gst/link_utili/link_riviste.shtml |archive-date=May 6, 2011 |access-date=January 3, 2025 |website=Working Group for the Development of Scientific and Technological Culture |publisher=Italian Ministry of Education and Merit |quote=Le Scienze è l' edizione italiana di Scientific American, la più prestigiosa rivista di divulgazione scientifica del mondo; quella italiana è stata la prima edizione internazionale, nel 1968. |trans-quote=Le Scienze is the Italian edition of Scientific American, the most prestigious popular science magazine in the world; the Italian one was the first international edition, in 1968.}}</ref> was launched followed by the Japanese edition, ''日経サイエンス'' (transliteration: ''Nikkei Science'') in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nikkei Business Publishing Ad Info |url=https://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/ad/en/printmedia/life/nsc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728234329/https://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/ad/en/printmedia/life/nsc/ |archive-date=July 28, 2021 |access-date=January 3, 2025 |website=[[Nikkei, Inc.|Nikkei Business Publishing]]}}</ref>

Subsequent international editions included the Spanish-language revival for [[Spain]], ''Inveestigación y Ciencia'' ("Investigation and Science") in 1976, the [[French language|French]] ''Pour la Science'' ("For Science") in 1977, the [[German language|German]] ''Spektrum der Wissenschaft'' ("Spectrum of Science") in 1978, as well as the [[Russian language|Russian]] ''V Mire Nauki'' ([[Russian language|Russian:]] В мире науки; "In the world of science").<ref name="International Editions">{{Cite web |title=International Editions |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/international/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241223131704/https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/international/ |archive-date=December 23, 2024 |website=Scientific American}}</ref>

The [[Polish language|Polish]] edition, published by Prószyński Media, began in 1991 under the name ''Świat Nauki'' ("World of Science").<ref name="International Editions" />

In 2002, the [[Taiwan]]ese edition, ''Scientist'' ([[Traditional Chinese characters|traditional Chinese]]: 科學人), was established in [[Taipei]].That same year, the German-language edition, ''Spektrum der Wissenschaft'', introduced ''Gehirn & Geist'' ("Brain & Mind"), focusing on psychology and neuroscience.<ref name="International Editions" />

In Italy, ''Mente & Cervello'' ("Mind & Brain") launched in 2003, complementing the older ''Le Scienze''. The [[Dutch language|Dutch]] edition debuted in 2003, published by Cascade in [[Antwerp]].<ref name="International Editions" />

== Editors ==
* [[Rufus Porter (painter)|Rufus Porter]] (1792–1884), 1845–1847
* [[Orson Desaix Munn]] (1824–1907), 1847–1907<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=January 1, 1945 |title=A Century of Progress |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791839,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205015754/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791839,00.html |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |access-date=July 15, 2008 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |quote=Present editor and publisher (third in the line) is Orson Desaix Munn, 61, a patent lawyer, crack bird hunter and fisherman, rumba fancier, familiar figure in Manhattan café society.}}</ref>
* [[Charles Allen Munn]] (1859–1924), from 1907–1924<ref name="A History of American Magazines">{{Cite book |last=Mott |first=Frank Luther |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lm7rSZ2BoK8C&q=scientific+american+Charles+Allen+Munn+editor&pg=PA316 |title=A History of American Magazines, 1850 – 1865 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-674-39551-0 |edition=4th |location=London |page=316 |ref=Mott, A History of American Magazines |access-date=August 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919020613/https://books.google.com/books?id=lm7rSZ2BoK8C&q=scientific+american+Charles+Allen+Munn+editor&pg=PA316#v=snippet&q=scientific%20american%20Charles%20Allen%20Munn%20editor&f=false |archive-date=September 19, 2024 |url-status=live |orig-year=1938}}</ref><ref name="Princeton University Finding Aid">{{Cite web |title=Munn, Charles Allen. |url=http://findingaids.princeton.edu/names/b71c108fa99d89a7172455b716458ca4#biogHist |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101180041/http://findingaids.princeton.edu/names/b71c108fa99d89a7172455b716458ca4#biogHist |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |access-date=August 9, 2015 |website=Princeton University Library Finding Aids |publisher=Princeton University |ref=Princeton University Finding Aid}}</ref>
* [[Orson Desaix Munn II]] (1883–1958), from 1924–1947
* [[Dennis Flanagan]] (1919–2005), from 1947–1984<ref>{{Cite news |last=Santora |first=Marc |date=January 17, 2005 |title=Dennis Flanagan, 85, Editor of Scientific American for 37 Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/obituaries/17flanagan_obit.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516014550/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/obituaries/17flanagan_obit.html |archive-date=May 16, 2013 |access-date=April 1, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]] |quote=Dennis Flanagan, who as editor of ''Scientific American'' magazine helped foster science writing for the general reader, died at his home in Manhattan on Friday. He was 85. The cause of death was prostate cancer, according to his wife, Barbara Williams Flanagan. Mr. Flanagan, who worked at ''Scientific American'' for more than three decades beginning in 1947, teamed editors directly with working scientists, publishing pieces by leading figures like Albert Einstein, Linus Pauling and J. Robert Oppenheimer.}}</ref>
* [[Jonathan Piel]], 1984–1994
* [[John Rennie (editor)|John Rennie]], 1994–2009
* [[Mariette DiChristina]], 2009–2019
* [[Laura Helmuth]], 2020–2024<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scientific American appoints Laura Helmuth Editor-in-Chief |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/pr/scientific-american-appoints-laura-helmuth-editor-in-chief/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227173715/https://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/pr/scientific-american-appoints-laura-helmuth-editor-in-chief/ |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |website=Pressroom }}</ref><ref name="Helmuth resigns">{{Cite web |last=Christobek |first=Kate |date=November 15, 2024 |title=Editor Resigns After Calling Some Trump Supporters 'Fascists' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/business/media/laura-helmuth-resigns-scientific-american.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241125013625/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/business/media/laura-helmuth-resigns-scientific-american.html |archive-date=November 25, 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>
* [[David M. Ewalt]], 2025–

=== Editorial controversy ===
In 2013, [[Danielle N. Lee]], a female scientist who blogged at ''Scientific American'', was called a "whore" in an email by an editor at the science website ''Biology Online'' after refusing to write professional content without compensation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jaschik |first=Scott |date=October 14, 2013 |title=When Does a Scientist Get Called a Whore? |url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/14/outrage-among-women-science-over-how-colleague-was-treated-and-censored |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016001311/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/14/outrage-among-women-science-over-how-colleague-was-treated-and-censored |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |access-date=October 15, 2013 |work=[[Inside Higher Ed]]}}</ref> Lee wrote a response to the email and posted it on the ''Scientific American'' blog.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hess |first=Amanda |date=October 14, 2013 |title=Scientific American's Troubling Response to Its Blogger Being Called an 'Urban Whore' |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/14/danielle_lee_called_an_urban_whore_how_scientific_american_bungled_the_racist.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015202731/http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/14/danielle_lee_called_an_urban_whore_how_scientific_american_bungled_the_racist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2013 |access-date=October 15, 2013 |work=Slate}}</ref> Then editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina removed Lee's post, citing legal reasons for removing the blog.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 14, 2013 |title='Scientific American' draws heat over 'urban whore' blog post |url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/scientific-american-draws-heat-over-urban-whore-blog-post/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016062756/http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/10/14/scientific-american-draws-heat-over-urban-whore-blog-post/ |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |access-date=October 15, 2013 |work=Fox News}}</ref> The editor at ''Biology Online'' was fired after the incident.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Curry |first=Colleen |date=October 14, 2013 |title=Biology-Online Fires Editor Who Called Scientist 'Urban Whore' |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/biology-online-fires-editor-called-scientist-urban-whore/story?id=20564772 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014212201/https://abcnews.go.com/US/biology-online-fires-editor-called-scientist-urban-whore/story?id=20564772 |archive-date=October 14, 2013 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref>

The controversy widened in the ensuing days. The magazine's blog editor, Bora Zivkovic, was the subject of allegations of [[sexual harassment]] by another blogger, Monica Byrne.<ref>Byrne, Monica. Zivkovic said of the meeting, "within five minutes, it was clear that SciAm wasn't a good match for her professional goals. [He] stayed for the coffee out of politeness, but found her offputting and uninteresting as a person. So much emphasis has been put on the subject matter of their conversation, but for [Zivkovic] this was no different than talking to an entomologist about insects: all the writing samples she sent were related to sex and relationships. I was mortified to hear that she understood the conversation as inappropriate, and I did apologize, but not for harassment (there was none), for causing her any discomfort. As a naturalized American, I wasn't raised with all the subtleties that the American madonna/whore culture exposes. And I didn't understand how she could write and talk so freely about sex and yet be offended by our conversation, which was mild in comparison. My interest in her, sexually or otherwise, was zero." [http://monicacatherine.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/this-happened/ "This Happened"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021062656/http://monicacatherine.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/this-happened/ |date=October 21, 2013 }}, October 14, 2013. Retrieved on October 24, 2013.</ref><ref name="creep">{{Cite news |last=Helmuth |first=Laura |date=October 17, 2013 |title=Don't Be a Creep |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/10/science_blogging_scandal_bora_zivkovic_and_sexual_harassment.2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019230321/http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/10/science_blogging_scandal_bora_zivkovic_and_sexual_harassment.2.html |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |access-date=October 24, 2013 |work=Slate}}</ref> Although the alleged incident had occurred about a year earlier, editor Mariette DiChristina informed readers that the incident had been investigated and resolved to Byrne's satisfaction.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raeburn |first=Paul |date=October 16, 2013 |title=Scientific American blog editor admits to sexual harassment |url=http://ksj.mit.edu/tracker/2013/10/scientific-american-blog-editor-admits-s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026192921/http://ksj.mit.edu/tracker/2013/10/scientific-american-blog-editor-admits-s |archive-date=October 26, 2013 |access-date=October 24, 2013 |work=Knight Science Journalism at MIT}}</ref> However, the incident involving Lee had prompted Byrne to reveal the identity of Zivkovic, following the latter's support of Lee. Zivkovic admitted the incident with Byrne had taken place.<ref name="Zivkovic">{{Cite news |last=Zivkovic |first=Bora |date=October 15, 2013 |title=This happened |url=http://blog.coturnix.org/2013/10/15/this-happenned/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021062704/http://blog.coturnix.org/2013/10/15/this-happenned/ |archive-date=October 21, 2013 |work=A Blog Around The Clock}}</ref> He apologized to Byrne, and referred to the incident as "singular", stating that his behavior was not "engaged in before or since."<ref name="Zivkovic" />

Zivkovic resigned from the board of [[Science Online]], the popular science blogging conference that he co-founded with Anton Zuiker.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Greenhouse |first=Emily |date=October 18, 2013 |title=A Ripple of Voices Against Sexism |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/a-ripple-of-voices-against-sexism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417095606/https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/a-ripple-of-voices-against-sexism |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Following Zivkovic's admission, several female bloggers, including other bloggers for the magazine, wrote their own accounts, alleging additional incidents of sexual harassment, although none of these accounts were independently investigated.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cooper-White |first=Macrina |date=October 17, 2013 |title=Bora Zivkovic, Scientific American Blog Editor, Responds to Sexual Harassment Allegations |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/bora-zivkovic-sexual-harassment_n_4117277.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021214143/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/bora-zivkovic-sexual-harassment_n_4117277.html |archive-date=October 21, 2013 |access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Jane J. |date=October 18, 2013 |title=Shakeup at Scientific American Over Sexual Harassment |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/131017-sexual-harassment-bora-sexism-journalism-culture-science |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529212811/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/131017-sexual-harassment-bora-sexism-journalism-culture-science |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |work=[[National Geographic]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sorg |first=Lisa |date=October 18, 2013 |title=The fall of Pittsboro scientist and Scientific American blog editor Bora Zivkovic |url=http://www.indyweek.com/triangulator/archives/2013/10/18/the-fall-of-triangle-scientist-and-scientific-american-blog-editor-bora-zivkovic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025044351/http://www.indyweek.com/triangulator/archives/2013/10/18/the-fall-of-triangle-scientist-and-scientific-american-blog-editor-bora-zivkovic |archive-date=October 25, 2013 |work=Indy Week}}</ref> A day after these new revelations, Zivkovic resigned from his position at ''Scientific American''.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Bora Zivkovic resigns from Scientific American |date=October 18, 2013 |publisher=Scientific American |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/pr/corporate-press-releases/2013/bora-zivkovic-resigns-from-scientific-american/ |access-date=October 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025223333/http://www.scientificamerican.com/pressroom/pr/corporate-press-releases/2013/bora-zivkovic-resigns-from-scientific-american/ |archive-date=October 25, 2013 |author=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line. --> }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Palmer |first=Roxanne |date=October 15, 2013 |title=Scientific American Blog Editor Accused of Sexual Harassment |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/scientific-american-blog-editor-accused-sexual-harassment-1426612 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128123613/https://www.ibtimes.com/scientific-american-blog-editor-accused-sexual-harassment-1426612 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |work=[[International Business Times]]}} [https://www.ibtimes.com/scientific-american-blog-editor-accused-sexual-harassment-1426612 Alt URL]</ref>

== Special issues ==
[[File:Scientific American Special Navy Supplement - 1898.jpg|thumb|upright|Special ''Navy Supplement'', 1898]]

Scientific American has published numerous special editions over the years, focusing on various scientific topics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scientific American |url=https://www.jstor.org/journal/scieamer |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=[[JSTOR]]}}</ref> These editions are typically released quarterly and cover themes such as [[space settlement]] by humans, [[evolution]], [[economics]], and [[climate change]]. For example, the March 2024, (volume 33, issue 1s), included articles with themes about space exploration as well as human [[Sexual division of labour|sexual division of labor]] and [[Sexual differentiation in humans|differentiation]] among early-human [[hunter-gatherer]]s.”<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2024 |title=Special Editions Volume 33, Issue 1s |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/issue/special-editions/2024/03-05/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=Scientific American }}</ref> Similarly, the June 2024 edition, (volume 33, issue 2s), featured pieces on analyzing the "[[Void (astronomy)|cosmic nothing]]" and issues in physics raised often by the [[cosmological constant]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2024 |title=Special Editions Volume 33, Issue 2s |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/issue/special-editions/2024/06-01/ |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=Scientific American }}</ref>

These special editions are available to subscribers and can be accessed through Scientific American’s archives. The magazine’s archive provides a comprehensive list of past issues, including special editions, dating back to its inception in 1845.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 1, 2024 |title=Issue Archive: 2020-2024 |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/archive/issues/2020s/ |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=Scientific American }}</ref>

== Scientific American 50 award ==
<!--This section is widely linked to from other Wikipedia articles and the Award is referred to heavily in and the subject of some, e.g. https://today.duke.edu/2006/11/sciam50.html
 history and news articles.-->
The '''Scientific American 50''' award was started in 2002 to recognize contributions to science and technology during the magazine's previous year. The magazine's 50 awards cover many categories including agriculture, communications, defense, environment, and medical diagnostics. The complete list of each year's winners appear in the December issue of the magazine, as well as on the magazine's web site.

== Website ==
In March 1996, Scientific American launched its own website that included articles from current and past issues, online-only features, daily news, special reports, and trivia, among other things.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} The website introduced a [[paywall]] in April 2019, with readers able to view a few articles for free each month.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 15, 2019 |title=''Scientific American'' Launches New Paywall |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-launches-new-paywall/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926214558/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/scientific-american-launches-new-paywall/ |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |access-date=September 26, 2019 |website=@ScientificAmerican}}</ref>

== Columns ==
[[File:ScientificAmerican1917-11-03.jpg|thumb|upright|British Army reconnaissance airboat on the Tigris River during the [[Mesopotamian campaign|Mesopotamian Campaign]] of World War I]]

Notable features have included:

* [[Martin Gardner]]'s [[List of Martin Gardner Mathematical Games columns|Mathematical Games column]]
* [[Douglas Hofstadter]]'s [[Metamagical Themas]]
* [[The Amateur Scientist]] column
* [[A. K. Dewdney]]'s Computer Recreations column
* [[Michael Shermer]]'s Skeptic column
* [[James Burke (science historian)|James Burke]]'s [[Connections (British documentary)#Related works|Connections]]

== Television ==
From 1990 to 2005 ''Scientific American'' produced a television program on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] called ''[[Scientific American Frontiers]]'' with hosts [[Woodie Flowers]]<ref>{{Scientific American Frontiers|1 || Woodie Flowers}}</ref> and [[Alan Alda]].<ref>{{Scientific American Frontiers|4 || Alan Alda}}</ref>

== Books ==
{{Main|Scientific American Library}}
[[File:"SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT No. 1100 January 30, 1897" from- Canet naval guns for the Greek ironclads (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Scientific American Supplement No. 1100 January 30, 1897, featuring [[Canet gun|Canet naval guns]] for the Greek ironclads]]

From 1983 to 1997, ''Scientific American'' has produced an encyclopedia set of volumes from their publishing division, the '''Scientific American Library'''. These books were not sold in retail stores, but as a [[Book of the Month Club]] selection priced from $24.95 to $32.95.

Topics covered dozens of areas of scientific knowledge and included in-depth essays on: The [[Animal cognition|Animal Mind]]; Atmosphere, Climate, and Change; Beyond the Third Dimension; Cosmic Clouds; Cycles of Life • Civilization and the Biosphere; The Discovery of Subatomic Particles; Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest; Earthquakes and Geological Discovery; Exploring Planetary Worlds; Gravity's Fatal Attraction; Fire; Fossils and the History of Life; From Quarks to the Cosmos; A Guided Tour of the Living Cell; Human Diversity; Perception; The Solar System; Sun and Earth; The Science of Words (Linguistics); The Science of Musical Sound; The Second Law (of Thermodynamics); Stars; Supercomputing and the Transformation of Science.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scientific American Library |url=https://www.librarything.com/nseries/5975/Scientific-American-Library |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807011457/https://www.librarything.com/nseries/5975/Scientific-American-Library |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |access-date=November 24, 2016 |publisher=[[LibraryThing]]}}</ref>

''Scientific American'' launched a publishing imprint in 2010 in partnership with [[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=FSG, 'Scientific American' Roll Out New Imprint |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/52025-fsg-scientific-american-roll-out-new-imprint.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210072452/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/52025-fsg-scientific-american-roll-out-new-imprint.html |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |access-date=December 10, 2017 |website=PublishersWeekly.com}}</ref>

* {{Cite book |last=DiChristina |first=Mariette |title=Scientific American – The Science Behind the Debates. Special Collector's Edition. Winter 2017/2018 |publisher=Scientific American |year=2017}} A "collection of updated or adapted ''Scientific American'' articles and shorter pieces... ." According to editor Andrea Gawrylewski 'The reader will quickly notice a common theme. ... there really is no debate where the science is concerned{{'"}}. Contributors include [[Seth Shostak]], [[Paul Offit]], [[Richard Dawkins]] and [[Harriet A. Hall|Harriet Hall]].<ref name="SI 2018">{{Cite journal |date=2018 |title=New and Notable |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |volume=42 |issue=3 |page=61}}</ref>

== Scientific and political debate ==
In April 1950, the U.S. [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] ordered ''Scientific American'' to cease publication of an issue containing an article by [[Hans Bethe]] that appeared to reveal classified information about the thermonuclear [[hydrogen bomb]]. Subsequent review of the material determined that the AEC had overreacted. The incident was important for the "new" ''Scientific American''{{'}}s history, as the AEC's decision to burn 3,000 copies of an early press-run of the magazine containing the offending material appeared to be "[[book burning]] in a free society" when publisher Gerard Piel leaked the incident to the press.<ref>Lewenstein, B. V. (1987). 'Public Understanding of Science' in America, 1945 – 1965. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, pp. 280 – 284</ref>

In the October 2020 issue of the magazine, it endorsed [[Joe Biden]] for the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]], citing [[Donald Trump]]'s rejection of scientific evidence, especially during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Rachel |date=September 17, 2020 |title='Scientific American' Breaks 175 Years Of Tradition, Endorses A Presidential Nominee |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/913881019/scientific-american-breaks-tradition-endorses-a-presidential-candidate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117190626/https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/913881019/scientific-american-breaks-tradition-endorses-a-presidential-candidate |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |work=National Public Radio}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Niedzwiadek |first=Nick |date=September 15, 2020 |title=Scientific American backs Biden in first-ever endorsement |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/scientific-american-backs-biden-415132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116154112/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/scientific-american-backs-biden-415132 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |work=Politico}}</ref> In the column reporting the endorsement, the magazine's editors said, "''Scientific American'' has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 5, 2020 |title=Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915132815/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/ |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |access-date=September 15, 2020 |magazine=Scientific American}}</ref> In September 2024 and for the second time in its history, for the same reason, ''Scientific American'' endorsed [[Kamala Harris]] for the [[2024 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vote for Kamala Harris to Support Science, Health and the Environment |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vote-for-kamala-harris-to-support-science-health-and-the-environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916203104/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vote-for-kamala-harris-to-support-science-health-and-the-environment/ |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=Scientific American }}</ref>

In November 2024, editor-in-chief [[Laura Helmuth]] resigned from ''Scientific American'' following an apology for a social media post in which she characterized some [[Trump supporter|supporting Trump]] as fascists.<ref name="Helmuth resigns" /> Journalist [[Jesse Singal]] objected to what he viewed as the magazine's shift towards social justice politics at the expense of its scientific credibility.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Singal |first=Jesse |url=https://reason.com/2024/11/18/how-scientific-americans-departing-editor-helped-degrade-science/|title='Scientific American' Departing Editor Helped Degrade Science|website=[[Reason.com]] |date=November 18, 2024|access-date=October 10, 2025}}</ref>

== Awards ==
* 2010: [[IQ Award]] for the German edition ''Spektrum der Wissenschaft''{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
* 2012: [[Science in Society Journalism Awards|Science in Society Journalism Award]], for the editorial board's piece titled "Ban Chimp Testing."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |date=September 13, 2012 |title=Winning Stories from Science Writers |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/cosmic-log/winning-stories-science-writers-flna997684 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208023407/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/cosmic-log/winning-stories-science-writers-flna997684 |archive-date=December 8, 2024 |work=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>
* 2013, the National Association of Science Writers awarded freelancer Douglas Fox in the science reporting category for his article “Witness to an Antarctic Meltdown,” published in ''Scientific American''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2013 |title=2013 Science in Society Journalism Award Winners |url=https://www.nasw.org/article/2013-science-society-journalism-award-winners |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311132857/https://www.nasw.org/article/2013-science-society-journalism-award-winners |archive-date=March 11, 2019 |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=[[National Association of Science Writers]] }}</ref>
* 2024, Scientific American received seven Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television content across all screens. The magazine’s visual compositions on various scientific topics were selected from over 13,000 submissions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2024 |title=Scientific American Wins Seven Telly Awards |url=https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/media/press-releases/scientific-american-wins-seven-telly-awards/27325592 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917223744/https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/media/press-releases/scientific-american-wins-seven-telly-awards/27325592 |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |access-date=December 8, 2024 |website=[[Springer Nature]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Science|Books}}

* [[14145 Sciam]], asteroid named after ''Scientific American''
* ''[[American Scientist]]''
* [[Discover (magazine)|''Discover'' (magazine)]]
* [[Albert Graham Ingalls]], former editor and author of an [[amateur astronomy]] column
* ''[[New Scientist]]''
* ''[[Scientific American Mind]]''

{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Scientific American|''Scientific American''}}
{{Wikisource|Scientific American|''Scientific American''}}

* {{Official website}}
* {{HathiTrust Catalog|000505081|''Scientific American''}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Scientific American|dname=''Scientific American''}}
* {{Librivox author |id=365|title=''Scientific American''}}

{{Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group}}
{{Authority control}}

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