Customer Reviews
Great weekly for the general reader 
2006-05-16
Science matters. You already know that. You want to stay on top of what's happening in medicine, space research, earth studies, and more. That's because you know things like AIDS, earthquakes, and changing weather patterns all have huge significance to human needs and social policy. But you don't have the time or the specialized knowledge to plow through piles of academic journals every week, hunting the nuggets that mean the most and translating them into the language of normal, educated reader.
You want Science News. It's brief and readable, so you don't have to dedicate half your week to keeping up with what really matters. It's weekly, which matters in a world where month-old news is old news. And it's written so that any concerned citizen can understand the science and the issues. The editors don't write down to the readers, but they don't assume specialized education either. Intelligent high-schoolers or precocious tween-agers can grasp the important parts of each story, but specialists (including one university prof I know) use it to keep up with news outside of their research areas.
Try a few issues at your local library - you'll probably find that you'll want your own.
//wiredweird
Science News 2006-03-02
I had subscribed to Science News for many years and somehow let it expire when I moved. I missed it greatly and was so glad to start receiving it again. It seems to be the best way to stay current on many fields of science.
Science updates in manageable doses 2005-12-10
I really enjoy this magazine and have subscribed to it for almost six years now. The fact that it turns up in my mail box every week and provides information on what's new in the scientific literature in small incremental doses that I can read in the limited amount of free time at my disposal is a definite plus. Almost every scientific topic in which I hold an interst is covered at least in the shorter articles, and several have been covered in greater detail in the longer ones. I find the letters to the editor exceptionally useful in that the questions proposed by readers are answered by the authors and clarify issues that may have been confusing to me also. In some instances, the criticisms provided by readers who have some professional knowledge of the topic have actually added to the value of the article.
Science News is for the literate masses 2005-12-08
This is a magazine for Alix Mautner. Richard Feynman wrote QED, in part, because he wanted to write a series of lectures that would make quantum electrodynamics understandable to his friend, Mautner. Science News does the same with geology, ecology, medicine, physics, chemistry, and other sciences. It does it by reviewing, in understandable terms, the theory, the experiments, the conclusions, and the alternative ways to interpret the conclusions. It projects the cutting edge of science by reviewing not only the published science, but also the science reported in scientific gatherings. Since the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of the writing is approximately 11, or 1 more than National Geographic, it is perfect for the literate masses from age 13 up. Today's issue included an article on whether honeybees can discriminate between human faces (really!). The answer is... usually. And the cover story was on the chemistry of beer.
The magazine is published 51 weeks a year, and subscribers also have access to web resources including references, extended articles, and the archive. Science News is the best thing to happen to current science news reporting since... sliced honey bread, delivered to my face.
A science magazine for the intelligent layman 2005-06-09
I've been subscribing to Science News for more than 10 years, and love it. The intelligently written articles range in length from 1/3 page to 3 pages, and because each 16-page (approx.) issue shows up in your mailbox once a week, are always current. Many of the articles are shorter versions of ones that appear in Nature and Science.
The articles are written for intelligent laymen, and subjects encompass the full range of science, physics through medicine and the social sciences. I have several friends at Caltech who subscribe to it to keep current in fields outside of their own.
If what you're looking for is a Head's Up for important developments in the world of science (as opposed to the Pop Science that appears in a Wired or Discover) then this is your magazine.
Monitor Science Breakthroughs and Science News Each Week 2008-06-22
This magazine provides an excellent survey and monitor of scientific news and scientific breakthroughs and changes to prior scientific understanding or hypotheses. I enjoy reading the science coverage it provides - multiple fields. It refers readers to more in-depth sources for further reading. If you read this magazine, you will keep up with a variety of scientific fields like physics, biology, archaeology, medicine, materials, chemistry, etc., etc. - usually whatever is making significant news that week or that is recently published in the scientific journals and literature, but which may have a significant impact on science, gets picked up by Science News and Science News provides a very good summary of the science. The pieces are short, not laden with technical jargon, and are easy to read and well written. The articles are not scientific journal articles. They are news articles. The general reader needs no scientific background. It is like an alert service or monitor. I believe the magazine is excellent. I recommend it to anyone interested in science.
Rip Off - No magazine yet 
2008-05-11
Should have listened to other reviews from this page - it's been over three months and I haven't received an issue. Though I definitely got charged 40 bucks. :(
Science News 2008-04-07
Science News is a weekly publication which summarizes advances and discoveries in the world of science. The readership is probably limited, since reports have estimated only 5% of the population has an ability to understand basic science. The coverage of the field is excellent, and so is the use of correct American English syntax. [...]
Very PLeased. 2007-09-04
When I ordered Science Magazine, I was unsure of the content. I knew that I have been increasingly annoyed with the Journalistic Science and Speculative Science that I had been getting from Scientific American for the last few decades. (I had subscribed to Scientific American in 1949 when I was seven years old. And although much was over my head at the time...the Magazines were read and reread as I grew up. I appreciated being challenged...having a non-watered down glimpse of Science...! As I read my Science Magazine, I find much of that original delight return. And once again I loving it.
Love it! 2007-08-28
As a high school science teacher, this magazine is a great resource to keep me abreast of the newest topics in science. The articles are written for those who share a deep understanding of many science terms and concepts. If you have read Scientific American, the articles are similar in science terminology, but much shorter. Lots of great information and a wide variety of science areas are included weekly. Unless my children at home interrupt me, it is usually read front to back the day it comes in the mail.
