Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


The frothy formula of celebrities + products + buzz that informs general interest magazines hardly allows for discussion of real formulas, or any other scientific phenomenon. Save for the occasional charismatic cloned sheep, science magazine editors have to make do with stories that have far less appeal. But they’re a brainy bunch, and they’ve found ways to modify the standard formula to suit their own applications.

NEW SCIENTIST SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN POPULAR SCIENCE DISCOVER PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
Recommended educational background Undergraduate degree in one or more of the hard sciences Graduate degree in one or more of the hard sciences or Mensa membership Glancing familiarity with the Sharper Image catalog At least two years of watching “Nova” on PBS and/or moderate-sized science-fiction collection Learning Annex “Certificate of Completion”
Weird Science “Split Electrons: Strange Creatures Born From a Storm” “Both a Bird and a Dinosaur” “Cars That Run on Air” “Ancient American Cannibals” “A Provocative Look at Taboos”
Celebrity angle “Meet El Niño’s Atlantic Cousin” “‘Scientific American Frontiers’—Hosted by Alan Alda” “More Secrets From Mars” “Beyond Hubble” “Dr. Laura Wants You to Stop Whining”
Most telling advertisement More than 40 pages of science-oriented help wanted ads. Must be willing to relocate to England. “Take the Cell Biology Set for only $5.95!” Ford Econoline centerfold “Think Different” ad from Apple Ad for a book called I Don’t Have to Make Everything All Better
Einstein has left the building “If you cannot see, you may not be able to find your way out of a burning building—and that could be fatal.” “Although every discipline has its own jargon, the preference for simple language in some cases improves communication between doctor and patient.” “Full-size American-made family sedans once were the pride of the Motor City’s fleet. But the past decade has seen a mass defection toward smaller cars.” “When I watch a game with my sons, I can’t help but see that today’s NBA players are incomparably better than they were during my childhood 50 years ago.” “One intriguing implication of behavioral genetic research is that children…driv[e] their own development, through…the reactions they elicit, even the friends they pick.”

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate