Feature

  1. Astronomy

    Cosmic Melody

    An astronomer has converted fluctuations in the density of the early universe—the seeds of the first galaxies and stars—into audible sound.

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  2. Chemistry

    Tricky Business

    The way a drug crystallizes to form a solid can make or break a billion-dollar product, which explains why pharmaceutical and crystal chemists are racing to control this poorly understood process.

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  3. Tech

    When the Chips are Down

    Scientists seek alternatives to a computer technology nearing its limits.

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  4. To Err Is Human

    Two researchers have issued a blunt critique of what they see as a misguided emphasis on immoral behaviors and mental flaws in many social psychology studies.

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  5. Don’t Let the Bugs Bite

    Using disease-control strategies based on genetic engineering, scientists are working to counter Chagas' disease, malaria, sleeping sickness, and other insectborne infections.

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  6. Physics

    Starting from Square One

    Physicists appear to have wedded the arcane theory of quarks to cutting-edge computer science, giving themselves tools for precisely predicting properties of subatomic matter and possibly observing new physical phenomena.

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  7. Ecosystems

    Corals without Boarders

    The last decade has been a great era for discovering corals in the deep ocean, but a United Nations report warns that these cold, dark reefs urgently need protection.

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  8. Earth

    Parting Shots

    Data collected during an 18-day barrage of major solar flares late last year—including a record-setting coronal mass ejection on Nov. 4—will help scientists refine models of flare formation and behavior.

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  9. Deception Detection

    Psychologists are trying to see whether the statistically significant deception signals found in laboratory experiments exist in high stakes, realistic lies, and whether real lie detectors, such as police officers and judges, are able to detect them.

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  10. Math

    Generous Players

    Game theory is helping to explain how cooperation and other self-sacrificing behaviors fit into natural selection.

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  11. Astronomy

    End of the Line for Hubble?

    With a space shuttle mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope now canceled, astronomers are pondering how to best use the flying observatory during its final years.

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  12. Materials Science

    Diatom Menagerie

    Materials scientists are trying to coerce diatoms into making silicon-based microdevices with specific features.

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