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  1. Math

    Improving the Odds in RISK

    RISK is a classic board game of global conquest. First published in 1959, this war game remains a popular pastime–and continues to attract mathematical attention. Recent analyses reveal that the chances of winning a battle are considerably more favorable for the attacker than was originally suspected. “The logical recommendation is . . . for the […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Earth

    Digging for Fire: Burning peat underlies Mali’s hot ground

    Superheated ground and smoking potholes in northern Mali are evidence not of volcanic activity but of a layer of peat that is burning 2 feet below the desert surface.

    By Sorcha McDonagh
  3. Health & Medicine

    DNA Differences Add Risk: Altered genes show up in Lou Gehrig’s disease

    People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are more likely than healthy people to have certain variations in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, suggesting variant VEGF contributes to the disease.