Feature

  1. Materials Science

    Diatom Menagerie

    Materials scientists are trying to coerce diatoms into making silicon-based microdevices with specific features.

    By Alexandra Goho
  2. Health & Medicine

    Counting Carbs

    Although low-carbohydrate diets can be powerful weight-loss tools, many physicians now conclude they aren't for anyone who isn't under a doctor's watchful eye.

    By Janet Raloff

  3. Dying before Their Time

    Genetically engineered mice that get prematurely old give hints to the causes of aging.

    By John Travis
  4. Astronomy

    Heavenly Passage

    On June 8, the black dot of Venus passed across the face of the sun, the first time it did so in 122 years.

    By Ron Cowen
  5. Humans

    Of Rats, Mice, and Birds

    Fireworks erupt over an extension of rules to protect lab animals.

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Tech

    Little Big Wire

    High-temperature superconductivity makes a bid for the power grid.

    By Peter Weiss
  7. Earth

    Dead Heat

    New studies suggest that adverse health effects related to global warming aren't just a theoretical concern for the distant future.

    By Sid Perkins

  8. Comfortably Numb

    Scientists are finding the molecular targets of anesthetics.

    By John Travis

  9. Beg Your Indulgence

    The Japanese concept of amae, in which one person presumes that another will indulgently grant a special request, may apply to different forms of behavior at different ages, even in Western countries.

    By Bruce Bower
  10. Animals

    Thoroughly Modern Migrants

    Butterflies and moths are causing scientists to devise a broader definition of migration and this has raised some old questions in new ways.

    By Susan Milius

  11. Do Antibodies Pack a Deadly Punch?

    These immune molecules may directly kill, not just tag, microbes.

    By John Travis
  12. Computing

    Calculating Swarms

    Ant teamwork suggests models for computing faster and organizing better.

    By Ivars Peterson