Feature

  1. Telltale Heart

    Genetics is revealing the first steps in building a heart—the organ that is first to develop, subject to the most birth defects, and difficult to heal when damaged later in life.

    By Jessa Netting

  2. Faces of Perception

    Scientists who study face perception currently disagree strongly over whether newborn babies innately know what human faces look like and whether certain brain areas are solely responsible for distinguishing one face from another.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Tech

    Dances with Robots

    Soldiers, rescue workers, and others may attain superhuman strength, speed, and endurance as a result of a new military program to develop powered robotic exoskeletons contoured to a person's body.

    By Peter Weiss
  4. Chemistry

    Perfecting Porosity

    Researchers are designing novel porous materials that could clean up toxins, store gases, or catalyze difficult chemical reactions.