Scientific American Magazine

Introduction to a special report on 3-D printing, nano materials, atomic machines and more

Humans and robots will work elbow to elbow on the shop floor, but you'll be surprised by who's giving the orders

Seven next-generation materials promise to change the way the world is made

Will 3-D printing transform conventional manufacturing?

Scientists are building the next generation of atomic-scale devices

Digital simulations have become so powerful that companies send their products through the wringer—sometimes literally—before ever building a prototype

A chain reaction of toxic proteins may help explain Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other killers—an insight that could lead to desperately needed new treatment options

The surface of Mars changes all the time. Is flowing water one of the causes?

DNA analyses find that early Homo sapiens mated with other human species and hint that such interbreeding played a key role in the triumph of our kind

The pathogens of land animals are spreading to the oceans, threatening otters, seals, whales, coral and other sea creatures

In the chemistry of life, left-handed amino acids are the rule. Why does nature make so many exceptions?