I am not a nerd. ...really, I promise...
Pros:
very interesting, up to date, well-written
Cons:
none
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Author's Review
In an industry that is seemingly dominated by prosaic "fashion" (and I do use that term loosely) magazines containing more ads than articles, I find it rather refreshing to espy a publication that attempts more to increase your knowledge as opposed to your closet and credit card bill.
Science News is an award-winning news magazine that has been around since 1922 (note: I granted it brownie points for having seniority over Seventeen). It is the only science magazine in the United States to be mailed out weekly, and consequently it is always very up to date. In this ever-changing and fickle world of ours, being up to date is essential.
The issues are very concise -- each one is 16 pages -- and can be easily read in one sitting. So few pages may sound like a ripoff, but keep in mind that these issues are weekly; if combined into a normal monthly magazine, each issue would have 64 pages. Also, it never ceases to amaze me how few ads are present in this magazine. Usually there are not even enough to fill one page. Yay! More room for the good stuff!
Speaking of which: the actual articles in SN are wonderfully interesting, as long as you enjoy science-related developments. There are copious well-written research notes in areas such as technology, earth science, behavior, geriatrics, astronomy, biology, botany, microbiology... the list goes on. Not all subjects are covered in each issue of course, but any important recent discoveries are sure to be there. The articles are a pleasant mixture of layman's terms and technical descriptions, allowing everyone to understand.
Explicatory illustrations (in color) often accompany the longer articles, pleasing the eye and making the reading all the more interesting. There are often photos of things I've never seen before, such as distant galaxies and magnified microbes.
SN also offers a feature that most other magazines do not: there are audible formats and CD-ROM copies of it for people who cannot read well or who do not like to read. Audible issues cost around $15.95 a year, and are delivered via the computer. The CD-ROM is a compilation of all the issues from 1995 to 2000, with illustrations and a search option, for $57.50 per order.
Regular printed issues are priced at $54.50/year or $98.00/2 years, which equals roughly $1 per issue. Well worth it.
If you are anything like me and want to know a little about a lot, then this magazine should suit you just fine and I highly recommend it.
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