Feature
- Math
Pushing the Limit
Scientists are moving closer to constructing superefficient, noisefree data-transmission codes.
- Tech
Ghost Town Busters
Facing the threat of a radioactive mess from a dirty bomb, government and industry labs are creating novel cleaning agents and fixatives to aid rescue operations and speed restoration of contaminated zones.
- Chemistry
Making a Little Progress
Scientists are using nanotechnology to develop new strategies for diagnosing and treating cancer.
- Animals
Cool Birds
Emperor penguins go to such extremes to cope with life in Antarctica that they've inspired interesting science as well as a hit movie.
- Health & Medicine
Antibodies Counter Diabetes
Monoclonal antibodies that target immune cells can save pancreatic cells from the immune system for more than a year in people with type 1 diabetes.
- Earth
Invisible Rivers
The fresh water that seeps from continents into coastal waters via submarine springs is a phenomenon that many scientists are just beginning to appreciate, model, and accurately measure.
- Humans
A Galling Business
Efforts are under way to halt both poaching and inhumane farming of bears to supply bile, an ingredient used in traditional Asian medicine.
- Astronomy
Crisis in the Cosmos?
Baby galaxies that hail from the early history of the cosmos but are full of old stars and are nearly as massive as the Milky Way is today may challenge the standard theory of galaxy formation.
- Humans
Benched Science
As a result of three U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the 1990s, people who sue for redress from injury are now less likely to have scientific or medical evidence concerning that injury reach a jury.
- Tech
Growing Expectations
Biofuels made from waste agricultural plant matter are gaining prominence as new technologies make them increasingly competitive with petroleum fuels.
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Living History
Bacteria and fungi living on artworks and artifacts often cause extensive damage.
- Plants
Save the Flowers
Now that breeders have created thousands of new ornamental-flower varieties, scientists are turning their attention to restoring the fragrances that fell victim to the process.
