Science News
Science News is an independent, nonprofit science journalism publication founded in 1921 and operated by the Society for Science, delivering subscription-based digital and print+digital access to general readers, educators, and science professionals across all major scientific disciplines.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1921
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Science News does
Science News is an independent, nonprofit science journalism publication operated by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) membership organization headquartered at 1776 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC. Founded in 1921 (EIN 53-0196483), it has published continuous science journalism for over a century and now reaches 51-100 employees producing articles across disciplines including Health, Life, Earth, Physics, Space, Tech, Chemistry, Math, and Science & Society. Its core technology is a digital publishing platform at sciencenews.org with archives dating back to 1921, supplemented by multimedia output including articles, YouTube video, podcasts, and AI-voiced audio narration of written articles.
The publication's product portfolio centers on subscription-based access. Three primary subscription tiers are offered: Digital Only at $2.99/month or $30/year, Print + Digital Bundle at $59/year, and a 2-Year Print + Digital Bundle at $99 with 16% savings. Print delivery is via US home delivery; digital access includes the full archive and PDF issues. Two wholly-owned sub-brands extend the product surface: Science News Explores (snexplores.org), targeting younger audiences with accessible science content, and Science News Learning, an educator portal for classroom and curriculum support. Revenue is generated through subscription recurring fees, advertising, and donations solicited via a prominent donate function. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the website and home delivery, with top-of-funnel audience engagement across X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Threads, YouTube, email newsletter, and RSS.
Science News firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Science News
- Legal name
- Science News (published by Society for Science)
- Website
- https://sciencenews.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1921
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Science News is an independent, nonprofit science journalism publication founded in 1921 and operated by the Society for Science, delivering subscription-based digital and print+digital access to general readers, educators, and science professionals across all major scientific disciplines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Science News industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Journalism / Digital News Media
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)
Keywords
Where Science News is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Science News business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Digital Subscription: Digital-only subscription providing full access to sciencenews.org and archives dating back to 1921, plus PDF versions of each issue
- Print + Digital Bundle: Combined print magazine home delivery with full digital access
- Donations: Nonprofit funding model including donations to support independent science journalism
- Advertising: The publication accepts advertising as a revenue stream
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital Only - $2.99/month or $30/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Digital Only Annual - $30/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Print + Digital - $59/year |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 2 Year Print + Digital - $99 for 2 years |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
Science News product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Science News is an independent, nonprofit science journalism publication that delivers in-depth reporting on emerging research across disciplines including Health, Life, Earth, Climate, Physical, Space, Tech, Chemistry, Math, and Science & Society. The publication provides its content through multiple paid channels—digital and print magazine subscriptions priced at tiers offering multi-year discounts—and supplements distribution through podcasts (notably Science Quickly), email newsletters, an archival database dating to 1921, and a companion publication called Science News Explores aimed at younger audiences.
Product overview
Science News is an independent science journalism publication operated by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1921. The company offers subscription products spanning digital-only and print-plus-digital bundles. The product portfolio includes: Digital Only (full website access with archives dating back to 1921 and PDF issues), Print + Digital Bundle (home delivery plus digital access), and 2 Year Print + Digital Bundle (extended subscription option with 16% savings). The flagship print publication, Science News Magazine, is published regularly (currently Vol. 208, No. 7).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Science News Explores: A companion publication aimed at younger audiences and educational content
- Science News Learning
- Science News Magazine
Products and services
- Science News Magazine (with digital + print subscription tiers) Flagship subscription publication providing independent, nonprofit science journalism across Health, Life, Earth, Climate, Physical, Space, Tech, Chemistry, Math, and Science & Society disciplines; available in digital-only, print+digital, and multi-year print+digital subscription tiers with archive access back to 1921.
- Science News Explores Companion publication and website offering age-appropriate, accessible science news content for younger audiences, extending Science News's reach into educational contexts and supporting science literacy for middle and high school readers.
- Science Quickly Podcast Audio podcast series delivering regular science news episodes and researcher interviews, distributed via podcast platforms as part of Science News's multimedia content strategy.
- Science News Email Newsletters Email newsletters delivering curated daily and weekly science news digests, headlines, and feature stories directly to subscribers' inboxes as part of the multi-channel Science News content offering.
Companies that use Science News
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Science News technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Science News partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Science News competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Scientific American: Scientific American is a long-established popular science magazine offering digital and print subscriptions covering all areas of science — the most direct subscription-based competitor to Science News in the general consumer science journalism category.
- Popular Science: Popular Science publishes science and technology journalism for general audiences across digital and print formats, directly competing with Science News for the same consumer subscription and advertising revenue pool.
- New Scientist: New Scientist is a weekly science magazine offering subscription-based coverage of all scientific disciplines, structurally similar to Science News in pricing tiers and editorial breadth.
- Quanta Magazine: Quanta Magazine is a free, editorially independent online science publication funded by the Simons Foundation, directly competing with Science News for science-engaged reader attention despite a different funding model.
- Discover Magazine: Discover Magazine covers science news and research across disciplines for a general audience via digital and print formats, competing in the same consumer-facing science magazine category.
- Live Science: Live Science is a digital-first science news site covering research across disciplines, competing with Science News for online science readership and search-driven traffic.
Broad incumbents
- Nature: Nature publishes authoritative science news and commentary alongside its flagship research journal, serving a broader audience that includes science professionals — overlapping with Science News's 'science professional' segment.
- Smithsonian Magazine: Smithsonian Magazine publishes science, history, and culture journalism via subscription, overlapping with Science News's general-public science coverage while operating a broader editorial mandate.
Emerging players
- Phys.org: Phys.org is a science and technology news aggregator and original-publisher serving researchers and science-interested readers, competing for digital science readership with a different content mix.
Others
- Society for Science (parent): Society for Science is the parent nonprofit of Science News, also operating the Regeneron Science Talent Search and affiliated science competitions — relevant as the institutional ecosystem supporting Science News's educational mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Science News social profiles
Digital presenceScience News financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Science News leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Science News subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Science News funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Science News M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Science News
What does Science News do?
Science News is an independent, nonprofit science journalism publication that delivers in-depth reporting on emerging research across disciplines including Health, Life, Earth, Climate, Physical, Space, Tech, Chemistry, Math, and Science & Society. The publication provides its content through multiple paid channels—digital and print magazine subscriptions priced at tiers offering multi-year discounts—and supplements distribution through podcasts (notably Science Quickly), email newsletters, an archival database dating to 1921, and a companion publication called Science News Explores aimed at younger audiences.
Is Science News a public or private company?
Science News is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Science News founded?
Science News was founded in 1921. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Science News based?
Science News is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Science News make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Subscription is the primary driver. The others are print + Digital Bundle, donations and advertising.
Who are Science News's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Scientific American, Popular Science, New Scientist, Quanta Magazine, Discover Magazine and Live Science. Broad incumbents are Nature and Smithsonian Magazine. Phys.org is listed as an emerging player. Society for Science (parent) is listed as an others.
Does Science News have an API?
No public API is recorded for Science News.
What industry is Science News in?
Science News's product category is Science Journalism / Digital News Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAL, Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines. Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2721.