Science & Society
Fox experiment is replaying domestication in fast-forward
How to Tame a Fox recounts a nearly 60-year experiment in Russia to domesticate silver foxes.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
Lakes worldwide feel the heat from climate change
Lakes worldwide are warming with consequences for every part of the food web, from algae, to walleye, to freshwater seals.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Animals
The scales of the ocellated lizard are surprisingly coordinated
The mazelike patterns of the ocellated lizard’s skin follow a set of rules from computer science.
Notebook
Climate
Radical idea could restore ice in the Arctic Ocean
Windmill-powered pumps on buoys throughout the Arctic Ocean could help bring back shrinking sea ice, researchers say.
Features
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Yes, statins protect hearts. But critics question their expanding use
Even after decades of study, questions remain about statin safety.
More Stories from the May 13, 2017 issue
- Archaeology
Stone Age hunter-gatherers tackled their cavities with a sharp tool and tar
Late Stone Age hunter-gatherers scraped and coated away tooth decay.
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- Planetary Science
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has company. Meet the Great Cold Spot
A previously unidentified dark mark on Jupiter has been dubbed the “Great Cold Spot” because of its temperature and resemblance to the planet’s Great Red Spot.
- Genetics
Gene knockouts in people provide drug safety, effectiveness clues
People naturally lacking certain genes give clues about drug safety and efficacy, a study in Pakistanis shows.
- Health & Medicine
Rules restricting artificial trans fats are good for heart health
Taking artificial trans fats off the menu reduces hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke.
- Chemistry
New tech harvests drinking water from (relatively) dry air using only sunlight
A prototype device harvests moisture from dry air and separates it into drinkable water using only sunlight.
- Particle Physics
New particle probably can’t explain nuclear reactor neutrino mystery
An antineutrino anomaly seems due to problems with scientists’ predictions, not sterile neutrinos.
- Archaeology
Shock-absorbing spear points kept early North Americans on the hunt
Ancient Americans invented a way to make spear points last on an unfamiliar continent.
- Health & Medicine
Autism, ADHD risk not linked to prenatal exposure to antidepressants
Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, two new large studies suggest.
- Neuroscience
Brain gains seen in elderly mice injected with human umbilical cord plasma
Plasma from human umbilical cord blood refreshes aspects of learning and memory in mice.
- Climate
Plot twist in methane mystery blames chemistry, not emissions, for recent rise
The recent rise in atmospheric methane concentrations may have been caused by changes in atmospheric chemistry, not increased emissions from human activities, two new studies suggest.
- Particle Physics
Collider data hint at unexpected new subatomic particles
A set of particle decay measurements could be evidence for new physics.
- Planetary Science
Here’s how an asteroid impact would kill you
Most deaths caused by an asteroid impact would result from shock waves and winds generated from the blast, rather than effects such as earthquakes and tsunamis, new simulations show.
- Astronomy
Read up on solar eclipses before this year’s big event
Three new books chronicle the science, history and cultural significance of total solar eclipses.
- Astronomy
Asteroid in Jupiter’s orbit goes its own way
Asteroid shares Jupiter’s orbit around the sun but travels in the opposite direction as the planet.
- Ecosystems
Volcanic eruptions nearly snuffed out Gentoo penguin colony
Penguin poop dumps data on how a Gentoo colony responded to ancient volcanic eruptions.
- Planetary Science
Nitrogen fizz fuels ‘magic island’ on Titan, simulation suggests
Nitrogen bubbles may be the source of the “magic island” on Saturn’s moon Titan.
- Health & Medicine
Frog slime protein fights off the flu
Urumin, a protein found in Indian frog mucus secretions, has a knack for taking down H1 flu viruses, a new study finds.
- Oceans
The Arctic is a final garbage dump for ocean plastic
Ocean currents dump plastic garbage from the North Atlantic into previously pristine Arctic waters, new research shows.
- Animals
50 years ago, U.S. fell short on mosquito eradication
Researchers boldly predicted mosquitoes’ demise 50 years ago. They never came close.
