Feature

  1. Chemistry

    Silk

    Mimicking how spiders make their complex array of silks could usher in a tapestry of new materials, and other animals or plants could be designed to be the producers.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  2. Animals

    Not Your Father’s Song

    The next generation of birds chooses its music.

    By Susan Milius
  3. Chemistry

    Nicotine’s new appeal

    Mimicking the addictive compound’s action in the brain could lead to new drugs for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and schizophrenia.

    By Laura Beil
  4. Chemistry

    Long Live Plastics

    With plastics in museums decomposing, a new effort seeks to halt the demise of materials commonly thought to be unalterable.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. Health & Medicine

    Body In Mind

    Long thought the province of the abstract, cognition may actually evolve as physical experiences and actions ignite mental life.