Reviews For Discover Magazine

The present issue was better than it has been for a while. Marion Long's interview with Steven Pinker shed some light on the workings of our brains, & Jeanne Lenzer's article on "Citizen Heal Thyself," was also somewhat instructive. The latter verified what many lay folks & scientists have been saying & believing for some time. That STRESS is the great killer. It keeps our healthy cells from combating a wide variety of illnesses. A persons attitudes also, appear to be self fulfilling as well.

Discover is not as good a magazine as it was say, ten years ago, But, it is trying to reach a far wider & less scientifically knowledgable audience than Scientific American. Therefore, comparisons are a bit unfair. The sections of the magazine like Neuroquest where the inner workings of the brain are explored are good. The brain teasers can also keep one alert & entertained. However, the magazine could certainly improve on the 95 pages having about 15-20 devoted to advertising. On the whole, still a worthy read.

I love reading this magazine because it highlights a lot of the science we all can enjoy. I'm no blockhead, but I'm no Ivy League professor either, so I want to read about things that I can (a) understand, and (b) appreciate. Discover is able to accomplish both.

The front-of-book section is excellent for getting a "Reader's Digest"-type version of research people are doing, or nifty gadgets people are building. In that way, I think it can be better than "Scientific American" or other counterparts because it has a broader appeal. Features are often on things I want to know more about -- electricity, weather, DNA research, outer space, robots, etc. Yes, it's a good dose of "pop science" as another reviewer put it, but that's exactly what a lot of people like, and if that description fits you, you're in for some good reading.

It's better than watching most tv programs, any way, and a lot cheaper as well.

Once upon a time, Discover magazine was like Readers Digest for science topics right down to its miniature format. Discover today is little more than a Scientific American wanna be. They cover a broader range of topics and I love their coverage of science trends/possibilities that SA (to which I also subscribe) seems to think is beneath them. A couple years ago they tried a format change that turned Discover into a pop science rag (right after I mailed in my 5 year renewal, doh!). Now they're back but they've lost something I liked: The number of small articles covering a broad range of topics (R&D section) has decreased significantly. This was a format responsible for their early success. I still subscribe to the magazine but as far as I'm concerned Scientific American is clearly the better choice at this point.

I like Discover because the percent of articles I care to read tends to be a little higher than Scientific American, which is one of other favorite magazines. Discover at times can be a little too pop culture for me, but there always seems to be some interesting little nugget of knowledge in each issue that keeps me coming back. This magazine helps to fill the void between popular weekly magazines (e.g. Newsweek, Time) and technical journals that require a Ph.D. to understand. In this great era of science and technology, our democracy requires that we remain informed of important developments across the many fields in science. This magazine helps us to do that, so it serves an important role.

As the earlier reviewers have stated, "Discover" is not a heavy hitter. It presents the world of science and technology in such a way that the average reader does not need a degree in quantum physics or paleontology or forensics to understand the articles contained within its pages.

In fact, this reviewer has used the magazine in his seventh grade class and the kids love it.

I really enjoy this magazine. It is easy reading and lets me keep a pulse on the world of science. For anyone who loves the world of science and technology.

This magazine is very educational. The majority of my family enjoys reading this magazine that covers a variety of topics. It is a great resource for school reports and papers, too.

My only concern or warning for parents wanting to use this magazine for educational purpose is that it does contain "adult" advertising in the back. Parents' discretion.

I have taken this magazine for several years and still am amazed at the wonderful discoveries in it.

my teenager daughter and i read them often. for her, she finds them a bit repetitive, and not too different from one edition to the next. for me, it is an easy reading for very busy people, and give me a chance to read a little more on things that i have been concerned about, or needed additional information on, at a glance.
the May edition had a very good article regarding the dangers of plastic which i shared with other folks especially childbearing women and men. i think that is the beauty of these articles, they are not so long as they are not an essay on any subject matter, however, it does provide enough info to get the public's attention so people can go for more research if they wish to get deeper. i will continue receiving my subscriptions.

I'd never seen this magazine before now. I was searching for a gift for my husband, who couldn't be harder to shop for. When I read the description, I knew he'd enjoy it. I never imagined that I too would find it interesting. We've both found articles about subjects we didn't even know we'd want to read about, but found ourselves enlightened, educated and entertained. I'd recommend Discover magazine to anyone who wants to read something a cut or two about the usual; who wants to encounter articles written by knowledgeable authors about unexpected new interests that actually ask you to use your brain.