Scientific American Editors Launch MIND Magazine

Posted on December 17, 2004

The editors of Scientific American have launched Scientific American MIND, a new magazine that explores the fascinating and often mysterious workings of the brain, thoughts and feelings. The magazine is launching as a quarterly, with plans to increase to a bimonthly frequency in 2006.

"Scientific American MIND is a response to the growing appetite for information about how the mind works -- sparked in recent years by numerous advances in psychology and neuroscience," said Gretchen Teichgraeber, CEO and President of Scientific American. "The launch follows a highly successful test issue produced earlier this year -- as well as the success of the magazine in overseas markets."

The magazine will have a cover price of $5.95 and a subscription price of $19.95. The initial circulation of 120,000 will be driven primarily by newsstand sales. Teichgraeber said that the magazine was expected to attract a higher percentage of female readers than Scientific American, its parent publication.

"We are witnessing an explosion in understanding about what areas of the brain are active when a person is thinking, for instance, about eating a chocolate bar, making a decision, remembering a favorite piece of music or even contemplating revenge," said Mariette DiChristina, Executive Editor of SA MIND and Scientific American magazines. "Our editorial mission is to help readers understand why people think and act as we do -- to explore what makes us us."

The cover story of the debut issue explores "The Samaritan Paradox" -- the cultural and genetic reasons why humans in certain circumstances can display far greater altruism than others in the animal kingdom. Additional stories include "Stressed-Out Memories," about the effects of stress on memory; "The Forgotten Brain Emerges," about the growing recognition of the importance of the brain's glial cells in the thinking process; and "Informing the ADHD Debate," about how to recognize and respond to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.