American Scientist

In compiling a top-10 list of this year’s most popular magazine articles on American Scientist's website, we decided to look at what you—our readers—have been searching for the most. So here they are!

10. Drilling with Curiosity

by Emily Lakdawalla

Remotely operating a rover on another planet so that it can gather and analyze samples requires extensive planning, failure work-arounds, and compromise.
(May-June, 2018)

9. America's Cat Is on the Comeback

by Michelle LaRue

Mountain lions were extirpated in the eastern and midwestern United States after Europeans settled those areas, but now they are returning. Where will they go?
(November-December, 2018)

8. Many Cultures, One Psychology?

by Nicolas Geeraert

Gains in knowledge about the tremendous variety of cultures around the world are shaking the foundations of research on human behavior and mental processes.
(July-August, 2018)

7. A Chemical History of the Universe

by Jennifer Johnson

Mapping "star stuff" onto the periodic table
(September-October, 2018)

6. The Gene-Editing Conversation

by Matthew Nisbet

Public dialogue about the new technology will require major investments from scientists, journalists, and philanthropists.
(January-February, 2018)

5. Reasonable Versus Unreasonable Doubt

by David Allison, Gregory Pavela, Ivan Oransky

Although critiques of scientific findings can be used for misleading purposes, skepticism still plays a crucial role in producing robust research.
(March-April, 2018)

4. Science Comics' Super Powers

by Matteo Farinella

Communicators are turning to comics to make science pop.
(July-August, 2018)

3. Imaging Without Lenses

by David Stork, Aydogan Ozcan, Patrick R. Gill

New imaging systems, microscopes, and sensors rely on computation, rather than traditional lenses, to produce a digital image.
(January-February, 2018)

2. Is Drug Addiction a Brain Disease?

by Marc Grifell, Carl L. Hart

This popular claim lacks evidence and leads to poor policy.
(May-June, 2018)

1. The Secret History of Gravitational Waves

by Tony Rothman

Contrary to popular belief, Einstein was not the first to conceive of gravitational waves—but he was, eventually, the first to get the concept right.
(March-April, 2018)