Scientific American (informally abbreviated to SciAm) is a popular science magazine, one of the oldest and most prestigious, published (first weekly and later monthly) since August 28, 1845, making it the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. It brings articles about new and innovative research to the amateur and lay audience. Scientific American had a monthly circulation of roughly 555,000 in the United States and 90,000 internationally as of December 2005.

It is not a refereed scientific journal, such as Nature; rather, it is a forum where scientific theories and discoveries are explained to a broader audience. In the past scientists interested in fields outside their own areas of expertise made up the magazine's target audience. Now, however, the publication is aimed at educated general readers who are interested in scientific issues.

The magazine American Scientist covers similar ground but at a level more suitable for the professional science audience, similar to the older style of Scientific American. Scientific American was founded by Rufus M. Porter, who grew up in Bridgton, Maine, as a single-page newsletter.

Throughout its early years much emphasis was placed on reports of what was going on at the U.S. Patent Office. It also reported on a broad range of inventions including perpetual motion machines, an 1849 device for buoying vessels by Abraham Lincoln, and the universal joint which now finds place in nearly every automobile manufactured. Current issues feature a "this date in history" section, featuring excerpts from articles originally published 50, 100, and 150 years earlier; topics include humorous incidents, wrong-headed theories, and noteworthy advances in the history of science and technology.

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