Feature

  1. Ecosystems

    Tortoise Genes and Island Beings

    Geneticists and conservation biologists are joining forces to untangle the evolutionary history of giant Galápagos tortoises and to safeguard the animals' future.

    By Bryn Nelson
  2. Health & Medicine

    Mother Knows All

    Fragments of a fetus' genetic material that leak into a pregnant woman's bloodstream reveal details of early fetal development.

    By Sarah Williams
  3. Astronomy

    Gammas from Heaven

    An orbiting gamma-ray observatory, set for launch next spring, will seek out the most violent events in the cosmos.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Anthropology

    Fossil Sparks

    Two new fossil discoveries and an analysis of ancient teeth challenge traditional assumptions about ape and human evolution.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. Earth

    The Big Dry

    Parts of Australia have suffered from severe drought for more than a decade, and people, vegetation, and animals are feeling the heat.

    By Emily Sohn
  6. Tech

    Virtual Worlds, Real Science

    Epidemiologists and social scientists are tapping into virtual online worlds inhabited by millions to collect data with real-world uses.

    By Brian Vastag

  7. Stem Cells from Virgin Eggs

    Making embryonic stem cells from unfertilized eggs might bypass many ethical concerns, but important scientific hurdles remain.

    By Patrick Barry

  8. Not Just Hitchhikers

    Salmonella and other human pathogens on vegetables aren't just riding along like casual smears of dirt; they're moving in and setting up housekeeping.

    By Susan Milius
  9. Earth

    Invasive, Indeed

    Some people may live lightly on the land, but the demands of the world's population as a whole consume nearly a quarter of Earth's total biological productivity.

    By Sid Perkins
  10. Tech

    Disappearing Ink

    Coming to your tattoo parlor soon: New inks that allow clients to have their designs cleanly erased if embarrassment or regret sets in.

    By Corinna Wu
  11. Plants

    Stalking the Green Meat Eaters

    Pitcher plants in a New England bog hold little ecosystems in their leaves, and also act as indicators of the bog's ecological health.

    By Susan Milius
  12. Astronomy

    Sputnik + 50

    The launch of Sputnik 1, 50 years ago, ushered in a scientific and technological revolution, but dreams of the human conquest of space have faded.

    By Ron Cowen