Feature

  1. Anthropology

    The Pirahã Challenge

    A linguist has sparked controversy with his proposal that a tribe of about 200 people living in Brazil's Amazon rain forest speaks a language devoid of counting and color terms, clauses, and other elements of grammar often considered to be universal.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Ecosystems

    Valuing Nature

    With help from ecotourism-oriented commerce, the threatened birds of Uganda's Mabira Forest Reserve might just save themselves and set an example for conservationists elsewhere.

    By Ben Harder
  3. Chemistry

    A Skunk Walks into a Bar . . .

    Research into the chemistry behind unpleasant beer flavors may someday lead to a more flavor-stable brew.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  4. Planetary Science

    Mars or Bust!

    Scientists are working to overcome the biomedical challenges that would hinder a human voyage to Mars.