Feature

Physics

Cellular Contortionist

Mounting, but controversial, evidence suggests that DNA flexes more easily than previously thought, with potentially important implications for genetics, cell biology, and nanotechnology.

Ecosystems

Most Bees Live Alone

Concern about honeybee shortages has inspired new interest in bees that lead solitary lives and don't bother storing honey.

Astronomy

A New Spin

Using a flotilla of spacecraft to study X-ray emissions from the vicinity of black holes, astronomers are nudging ever closer to the whirlpool of activity surrounding these gravitational monsters.

Humans

Science News of the Year 2006

A review of important scientific achievements reported in Science News during the year 2006.

Earth

Rocking the House

A recent test that simulated the effect of a magnitude-6.7 earthquake on a full-size, wood-frame townhouse may help engineers and analysts design more earthquake-resistant homes. With sound and video.

Math

Crafty Geometry

By mastering traditional handicrafts such as knitting and crocheting, mathematicians are better able to understand complex surfaces.

Computing

What a Flake

New ways to simulate ice-crystal growth yield patterns remarkably similar to the beautiful and intricate shapes of snowflakes and may shed light on how those real-life shapes come about.

Health & Medicine

Salad Doubts

Researchers are looking into new ways to sanitize harvested produce and prevent foodborne pathogens from infecting people.

Humans

Peer Review under the Microscope

The traditional method for communicating results of scientific research could get its biggest facelift in hundreds of years.

Health & Medicine

Milk Therapy

Breast milk has long been known to be the best food for babies, but compounds in breast milk promise to be a tonic for many adult ills as well.