Feature

  1. Health & Medicine

    Germs That Do a Body Good

    Research on probiotic bacteria—living microbes that confer health benefits when introduced into the body—offers growing medical promise.

    By Ben Harder
  2. Health & Medicine

    The Persistent Problem of Cystic Fibrosis

    Ten years after the discovery of the gene that, when mutated, causes cystic fibrosis, researchers are still struggling to understand why deadly lung infections are so common among people with the disease.

    By Damaris Christensen
  3. Computing

    Calculating Cartoons

    Thanks to sophisticated computer simulations of the laws of physics, spectacular special effects—plus a zoo of strange but real-looking creatures—increasingly enliven movie screens and computer-game consoles.

    By Peter Weiss
  4. Materials Science

    Flattery for Faience

    By replicating ancient materials with their own hands, researchers are gaining new insights into details of Egyptian faience manufacture that have been lost for thousands of years.