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  1. Why people punish

    When punishing criminals, people tend to seek retribution, not deterrence.

    By Eric Jaffe
  2. Animals

    Stilts for ants make case for pedometer

    Changing the leg length of desert ants upsets their ability to judge distance, providing the first evidence in any animal of a built-in odometer based on stride.

    By Susan Milius
  3. Planetary Science

    Some deadly monikers

    Two recently found small moons orbiting Pluto have now been officially dubbed Nix and Hydra.

    By Ron Cowen
  4. Math

    Chaotic Chomp

    A new, physics-based approach to analyzing simple games, such as Chomp and Nim, reveals changing geometric patterns reminiscent of crystal growth.

    By Ivars Peterson

  5. Bringing Up Baby’s DNA

    Researchers are developing ways to harvest babies' genes in less invasive ways.