Scientific American magazine
Shares rank 14 of 15 online magazines by recommenders
Recommended for science writing that readers remember fondly from childhood; critics say it declined sharply after recent editorial changes, with politicized coverage and paywalls.
Recommended for science writing that readers remember fondly from childhood; critics say it declined sharply after recent editorial changes, with politicized coverage and paywalls.
26 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 20
- approval share
- 23%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fond memories from childhood reading
“I distinctly recall enjoying Scientific American for years as a young child”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” “they were pure intellectual magic to me”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “Random lasers from peanut kernel doped with birch leaf–derived carbon dots” Defended against criticism of articles
“It was basically a woke hit piece accusing him of scientific racism and white supremacy”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” “That's a pretty good hill to die on.”
Comment from 27 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Politics and sensationalism replaced science
“Helmuth fundamentally altered the magazine's course by pushing politics”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” “Spewing politcal hate is not the best way to win friends it seems.”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” “it's been sensationalist trash for quite a while”
Comment from 26 Jun 2026 in “Goodbye, Scientific American” - Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American”
Quality declined over decades
“Scientific American hasn't been the magazine it was for decades”
Comment from 26 Jun 2026 in “Goodbye, Scientific American” “Sad to see what Scientific American has become.”
Comment from 20 May 2026 in “SpaceX punts Starship launch as investigation opens into Starbase worker's death” “they abandoned their readers who genuinely wanted to learn”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” - Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American”
Fired writers, editors, science reporters
“They have started out by firing writers and editors.”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “Goodbye, Scientific American” “science reporting was the first to get axed”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” Readers feel abandoned
“they abandoned their readers who genuinely wanted to learn”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American” “It will become obvious why Scientific American no longer has readers.”
Comment from 26 Oct 2026 in “The Fall of Scientific American”
Other online magazines people recommend
The four most recommended other online magazines, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Economist | 87 | 75 | 54% | 12 | 10 yrs11 owners | — |
| New York Times subscription | 68 | 190 | 26% | 12 | 10 yrs8 owners | — |
| LWN.net subscription | 53 | 14 | 79% | 11 | 22 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| Quanta Magazine | 36 | 20 | 64% | 11 | — | — |
| Scientific American magazineThis page | 6 | 20 | 23% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
27 of the 28 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“That's a pretty good hill to die on.”
“science reporting was the first to get axed”
“Requiring a membership, free or otherwise, is a goddamn paywall.”
“I distinctly recall enjoying Scientific American for years as a young child”
“Helmuth fundamentally altered the magazine's course by pushing politics”
“The timing was sadly important too.”
“they would have started taking money from "philanthropists" with an axe to grind.”
“Unfortunately the articles from journalists are far more less detailed and interesting”
“they abandoned their readers who genuinely wanted to learn”
“Good grief, the level of ignorence is astonishing but add that that was in a science journal”
“Spewing politcal hate is not the best way to win friends it seems.”
“It was basically a woke hit piece accusing him of scientific racism and white supremacy”
“I know something was seriously wrong with the magazine”
“Not acceptable for SciAm.”
“It will become obvious why Scientific American no longer has readers.”
“the resulting distraction ran it into the ground”
“They have started out by firing writers and editors.”
“it's been sensationalist trash for quite a while”
“Scientific American hasn't been the magazine it was for decades”
“it has failed to adapt to the internet”
“is in the center of the maelstrom and often cited as an example of the cultural shift that preceded the backlash”
“Scientific American is trash now, you shouldn't read it.”
“Sad to see what Scientific American has become.”
“Same with Scientific American”
“This is the best thing I've seen from Scientific American in a decade.”
“they were pure intellectual magic to me”
“Right now from the Scientific American front page: "Type 1 Diabetes science is having a moment"”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.