Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle

    A psychologist explores the ramifications of constant online connectivity for real-world human connections. MYSTERIES OF THE KOMODO DRAGON: THE BIGGEST, DEADLIEST LIZARD GIVES UP ITS SECRETS BY MARTY CRUMP Basic Books, 2011, 360 p., $28.95.

  2. Discoveries of the Census of Marine Life: Making Ocean Life Count by Paul V.R. Snelgrove

    Stunning photographs illustrate this compendium of new scientific knowledge gleaned from the largest-ever cataloging of ocean life. DISCOVERIES OF THE CENSUS OF MARINE LIFE: MAKING OCEAN LIFE COUNT BY PAUL V.R. SNELGROVE Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011, 270 p., $45.

  3. Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life by Richard Cohen

    Traveling to nearly 20 countries, the author traces efforts to understand Earth’s nearest star, from ancient Egyptian sun myths to a modern-day Antarctic observatory. CHASING THE SUN: THE EPIC STORY OF THE STAR THAT GIVES US LIFE BY RICHARD COHEN Random House, 2010, 574 p., $35.

  4. Letters

    Prescient Editor in Chief? I got behind on magazine reading over the summer; now that colder weather is here I’m catching up, randomly. I read the Nov. 6 issue one day, with the Life article on microbes that walk on their pili (“Sure, but can they chew gum too?” SN: 11/6/10, p. 8); the next […]

  5. Science Past from issue of January 14, 1961

    MAN-MADE DIAMONDS ONE-CARAT SIZE PRODUCED — Large, man-made diamonds, more than a carat in size, have been produced for the first time. The diamonds are dark in color and cannot now be used for industrial purposes because of structural imperfections. They were made at the General Electric Research Laboratory, Schenectady, N. Y., where the first […]

  6. Science Future for January 15, 2011

    January 22 Tweens work with engineers in Boise, Idaho, to design cities. See www.futurecityidaho.org January 26 Science historian Steven Shapin discusses ancient and modern concepts of food science, in New York City. Go to www.nyas.org January 26 Raise a glass to the science of cocktails at San Francisco’s Exploratorium fundraiser. Go to www.exploratorium.edu

  7. Book Review: Here is a Human Being: At the Dawn of Personal Genomics by Misha Angrist

    Review by Tina Hesman Saey.

  8. The Leafcutter Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson

    Two Pulitzer Prize–winning biologists team up to describe ants that farm their own food and form colonies that can be considered advanced civilizations. The Leafcutter Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson W.W. Norton, 2010, 160 p., $19.95.

  9. The Discovery of Jeanne Baret by Glynis Ridley

    The story of the first woman to sail around the globe — as “Jean Baret”— details her unheralded accomplishments as a botanist and explorer. The Discovery of Jeanne Baret by Glynis Ridley Crown, 2010, 288 p., $25.

  10. The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes by Christopher Wills

    A globe-trotting bio­logist explores how evolution has shaped today’s world, from Indonesian corals to Mongolian wolves. Includes more than 100 original photos. The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the World Through Evolutionary Eyes by Christopher Wills Oxford Univ. Press, 2010, 345 p., $34.95.

  11. The Nazi Symbiosis: Human Genetics and Politics in the Third Reich by Sheila Faith Weiss

    A historian offers a detailed account of genetics research and its ethical ramifications under the Third Reich. The Nazi Symbiosis: Human Genetics and Politics in the Third Reich by Sheila Faith Weiss Univ. of Chicago Press, 2010, 383 p., $45.

  12. Trailblazing Mars: NASA’s Next Giant Leap by Pat Duggins

    A veteran space reporter examines hurdles to human exploration of the Red Planet. Trailblazing Mars: NASA’s Next Giant Leap by Pat Duggins Univ. Press of Florida, 2010, 242 p., $24.95.