This bimonthly magazine contains science articles written by scientists for the scientifically literate reader (primarily other scientists). W Boudville's review is, in my view, incorrect on most points. His/her claim that the American Scientist is simply the American equivalent of Nature is totally wrong. Nature is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that contains (tersely written) professional articles at the cutting edge of modern research. The American Scientist contains articles that are written by scientists but for a much wider audience, it is certainly not meant to publish latest/greatest scientific results. It is not a peer reviewed journal, and the articles are not research papers and are meant to be accessible to a wider audience. Virtually all areas of the natural and physical sciences are covered in this publication including physics, astrophysics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, geology, paleontology, psychology, neuro-chemistry and many others. There are also occassionally contributions in the fields of enginerring and architecture as well. This may sound like a real hodge-podge, but the articles are generally well written and informative. There are typically 10 or so articles in each issue as well as 10-15 book reviews. I've been a subscriber for 10+ years. Some of the articles that have been most memorable include one on the complex chemistry of the iron in African rocks and how difficult it was for ancient Africans to smelt iron, a recent article on the complex geology of the Moon and what it tells us about it's formation and early evolution, and some surprising results about the Riemann Zeta function. The level (and amount of technical detail) of the articles is well above Scientific American or Sky and Telescope for example, and it is typically assumed that the reader has at least a batchelor's degree in science or engineering. If you are broadly interested in science and want to read a wide range of interesting, technical detailed articles, this is the magazine for you.
The writing, content, and timeliness of American Scientist is what SA used to be. I have nothing against SA but for the money I get better value with American Scientist. To sustain market share SA has had to make some compromises which may be a good thing IF it reaches a wider audience. But if you are even marginally literate in matters of science my choice would be American Scientist.Giving this magazine such a lofty epithet may seem a bit presumptuous, but for a non scientifically trained outsider this magazine offers a fresh and challenging look at the fast paced world of science that doesn't shy away from humor and the use of terms and ideas that may require its readers to go online and define a term. And in some cases it may inspire the reader to pick up a book on science by such greats as Hawking and Greene in order to better grasp some of the concepts dealing with time, space and atoms. This magazine isn't dumbed down. It includes well placed and efficient illustrations to help explain some of the more abstract points. It is not designed in the way popular magazinea are, in so much as they only touch upon a topic in the simplest manner and then move on before the audience is lost. Yet this magazine keeps the attention of the reader by combining explanatory notes that help people with no background knowledge have some grasp of the topic and by using humor and well written articles to clearly make their points.
For a magazine with a serious and well researched list of topics having small cartoons the likes of the New Yorker shows how comfortable this magazine is with itself. From the moment I picked up this magazine for the first time I felt like every word I read mattered and was worth my time to read. (Not true of many other magazines) American Scientist may not have the audience of Discover or National Geographic, nor is it as accessible as said titles, but for those with a true interest in science willing to challenge themselves and commit to real learning this magazine may be a perfect fit. At $4.95 it is certainly worth it to pick a copy on the news stand and try it out.
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After years of growing disgust with Scientific American (I've been a subscriber to Sci Am since 1975), I vented my frustration with SciAm by writing a scathing review on Amazon tonight. After writing the review, I perused the numerous other reviews from frustrated former SciAm lovers. Several of them recommended AmSci. I spent an hour checking out the AmSci website and I was hooked. I gave them my credit card and I am now a proud subscriber! Long live AmSci, good riddance to SciAm.Will update this review as often as needed. The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars is because AmSci has only 6 issues a year not enough! Make it a monthly and I will raise my rating to 5 stars!
[Update Feb 27, 2011]
Now that my first print copy has arrived, I am glad to report that I am very, very pleased. Sci Am could learn a lot by looking at Am Sci. The magazine is dense! There is hardly any whitespace. Photos and illustrations are not full-page, but they add essential information. The articles are satisfying, thought-provoking and rigorous. Each one is written by a real, working scientist or full professor. I actually LEARNED things from this issue, instead of (as in the case of Sci Am), fuming about errors. And the book reviews! What a delight about 6 pages of reviews! Each review was thorough, detailed, and nearly a page long.
Instead of stupid politics, there was a great essay on ethics in science.
I still wish this was a monthly! I would gladly pay twice as much for 12 issues a year.
The contrast between AmSci and SciAm is extreme. My March issue of SciAm went largely unread; I have put it on the shelf without finishing it. When my current SciAm subscription lapses, I will not renew. Instead, I plan to donate what I would have spend on SciAm to AmSci!
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