Feature

  1. Pre-Bang branes and bubbles

    What happened before the big bang?

    By Ron Cowen

  2. Cosmic questions, answers pending

    Special section

    By Tom Siegfried

  3. Big Fishing Yields Small Fish

    Researchers map predator loss and predict unstable oceans.

    By Janet Raloff

  4. Star Cents

    How the cost of NASA’s next big space telescope skyrocketed.

    By Ron Cowen

  5. Backup Bees

    Luring and taming wild pollinators for help on the farm.

    By Susan Milius

  6. Better by Design

    Avoiding undesirable traits from the start could help chemists make molecules less meddlesome.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  7. Life

    Dining In

    A process called autophagy, is a means of self-preservation, cleansing and stress management for a cell.With their sights on fighting disease, scientists are now uncovering the mechanics that keep autophagy in balance.

    By Tina Hesman Saey

  8. Ice in Motion

    As frozen lands disintegrate, researchers rush to catch the collapse.

    By Alexandra Witze
  9. Health & Medicine

    Memories Can’t Wait

    Researchers rethink the role of amyloid in causing Alzheimer’s

    By Laura Sanders

  10. Quantum Whirls

    How turbulence plays out in exotic materials.

    By Marissa Cevallos

  11. Brain Boosters

    Some nutritional supplements provide real food for thought.

    By Janet Raloff

  12. Cerebral Delights

    The amygdala, a part of the brain known for its role in fear, also helps people spot rewards — and go after them.

    By Susan Gaidos