Pros: Designed for the general reader which can make science accessible to many
Cons: Designed for the general reader which can turn off science minded readers
The Bottom Line: Popular Science aims for and admirably serves the non-scientific reader who is interested in scientific developments and their impacts on the world.
If you like your science news well digested and less technical than other science magazines out there (Scientific American and American Scientist for example), then Popular Science may just be the magazine for you. A monthly look at topics in science written for a reader with little to no background in the various fields.
Popular Science, as the title suggests is a science magazine designed for the general population. While providing information on some of the latest developments in science, Popular Science tends to gloss over details or specifics in order to appeal to the largest audience possible.
The Details
Popular Science is published 12 times a year and a one-year subscription will cost you $15.95 directly from the publisher. If you were perusing the newsstand and decided to pick up a copy, it would cost you $3.99.
Consisting of several different sections, Popular Science in each issue contains sections on Tech, News, Stories, Adventure, and Departments.
Tech includes information on the latest digital gadgets, tools and toys. A sampling in past issues includes a look at camera phones, pocket digital cameras, and laptops to name just a few.
News contains the latest science related headlines for the month and is set up as a several page review of that news. Some topics covered include a review of lunar missions, a look at war coverage and implanting microchips into brains.
Stories is where you will find the cover stories in addition to several other feature articles. These articles run about six to seven pages in length and cover current topics in science and in other fields where new science is helping. Recent stories have included a look at unmanned planes, how science is helping forensic scientists and new science in automobiles.
Adventure includes quick stories on various “adventure” minded topics. This could include security related topics (training to use night-vision), construction information (building a spire), virtual reality fun, and odd jobs that are out there.
Finally, the Departments section contains several smaller sections that include the Editor’s Column, letters to the Editor, a couple of monthly columns (Man and Machine – essays on man’s interaction with machines, and Geek DIY), FYI (a quick collection of “facts, answers, and oddities” from the past month in the science world), and finally Looking Back where the Editors look back at past issues of Popular Science.
Does it deserve to be popular?
Writing for the masses can ostracize people who are looking for more detailed scientific information and Popular Science is no exception. Readers with a deeper understanding and appreciation of science may not be that interested in Popular Science, however readers who are interested in science, but lack a formal education in it, or who just want to read about developments without details would be happy with Popular Science.
Personally there may be articles here and there that grab me, but in general I steer away from Popular Science and stick to more intrinsically science based magazines like Scientific American. My family gets Popular Science and when I am home, they load me up on past back issues. I find that once I get home, most of the time I flip through the magazine and it ends up in the recycling barrel without me reading much of it. That’s not to say I don’t read it at all, but most of the time I’ll only read one or two items out of an entire issue. I’m more interested in scientific details and in general, Popular Science doesn’t offer that to me.
Final Thoughts
Not everyone is going to be happy with any magazine that purports to be a science magazine and that is because everyone is approaching his or her “science news” from a different perspective. Some of us are looking for no more than a true scientific journal, while others may be happy with just a detailed look at scientific topics while others of us don’t want a single detail, but want to know what’s happening and how those scientific developments could affect their lives.
Thus that’s probably why it’s titled Popular Science. You won’t find stories on the metabolism of yeast bacteria or a story on the inner workings of String Theory – what you will find is news on noteworthy scientific insights and discoveries along with real world applications for those advancements.
Popular Science aims for and admirably serves the non-scientific reader who is interested in scientific developments and their impacts on the world.
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