Scientific American Magazine

Certain bacterial infections now defy all antibiotics. The resistance problem may be reversible, but only if society begins to consider how the drugs affect good bacteria as well as bad

Semiconductor lasers have shrunk to dimensions even smaller than the wavelength of the light they emit. In that realm, quantum behavior takes over, enabling more efficient and faster devices

Computer animation is becoming increasingly lifelike. Using simulation, a technique based on the laws of physics, researchers have created virtual humans who run, dive, bicycle and vault

The contraband trade in "Caiman" skins shows how sustainable utilization of endangered species fails to sustain them

Global production of conventional oil will begin to decline sooner than most people think, probably within 10 years

More oil is trapped in Canadian sands than Saudi Arabia holds in its reserves. The technology now exists to exploit this vast resource profitably

Recent innovations in underground imaging, steerable drilling and deepwater oil production could recover more of what lies below

Natural gas is cleaner and more plentiful than oil. New ways to convert it to liquid form may soon make it just as cheap and convenient to use in vehicles

Three years ago in a Colorado laboratory, scientists realized a long-standing dream, bringing the quantum world closer to the one of everyday experience