![Scientific American Logo](jpg/gettyimages-452518722c72e.jpg)
Spiderweb Thread Inspires Ultrasmall Microphones
Sound recording could take a cue from arachnid acoustics
Spiderweb Thread Inspires Ultrasmall Microphones
Sound recording could take a cue from arachnid acoustics
An Autonomous Logging Machine Could Make Forestry Safer
Forestry is deadly. Could automating some logging tasks help?
Ever Larger Cargo Ships Threaten Bridges, Ports and Other Structures
Cargo ships, like the one that caused the Baltimore bridge to collapse, are getting dangerously big
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Will Teach Engineers to Build Safer Infrastructure
The loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo ship collision will teach engineers how to design structures better able to withstand disasters
A Structural Engineer Explains Why the Baltimore Bridge Collapsed
A large container ship “totally removed” a critical pier from Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge
Collaborating in Person May Spark More Innovative Research
Bringing people together virtually doesn’t seem to boost disruptive research
The Amazing Aerial Adventures of Lilian Bland, the ‘Flying Feminist’
In 1910 an Anglo-Irish woman named Lilian Bland built a plane with little to no encouragement from her family or aviation enthusiasts. Shortly after the plane took off, she quit flying and moved on to her next challenge
Forgotten Electrical Engineer's Work Paved the Way for Radar Technology
Sallie Pero Mead made major discoveries about how electromagnetic waves propagate that allowed objects to be detected at a distance
Scientists Discover How to Convert CO2 into Powder That Can Be Stored for Decades
A team of scientists has figured out how to convert planet-warming carbon dioxide into a harmless powdery fuel that could be converted into clean electricity
Tech Billionaires Need to Stop Trying to Make the Science Fiction They Grew Up on Real
Today’s Silicon Valley billionaires grew up reading classic American science fiction. Now they’re trying to make it come true, embodying a dangerous political outlook
Ultrasound Enables Remote 3-D Printing—Even in the Human Body
For the first time, researchers have used sound waves to 3-D print an object from a distance—even with a wall in the way
Light Can Travel Backward in Time (Sort Of)
Light can be reflected not only in space but also in time—and researchers exploring such “time reflections” are finding a wealth of delightfully odd and useful effects