Feature

  1. Chemistry

    King Midas’ Modern Mourners

    Chemistry resurrects—in Philadelphia—an ancient funeral banquet.

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  2. Math

    Math Lab

    Computers are starting to give mathematicians the lab instrument that they have been missing.

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  3. Animals

    Hooking the Gullible

    Research into fish behavior often reveals ways that bait designers can trick a fish into biting odd-looking lures, but angler appeal can also be an important marketing consideration.

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  4. Culture of the Sea

    Whales and dolphins strut their social stuff for scientists.

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  5. Astronomy

    X-Ray Visionary

    Proposed observatory would image black holes and coronas of nearby stars.

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  6. Tech

    Reinventing the Yo-Yo

    No longer simple toys, today's pricey yo-yos sport high-tech features—such as ball bearing transaxles and precision string-snagging mechanisms—that permit dazzling new styles and complex tricks.

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  7. Astronomy

    Shades of Venus

    On June 8, for the first time in 122 years, the silhouette of Venus will move across the face of the sun.

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  8. Earth

    Tales of the Undammed

    Although destroying dams is often presumed to restore rivers, the results of such action are actually mixed, according to recent studies.

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  9. Quite a Switch

    Cells use ribonucleic acids that bind to small molecules such as vitamins to control gene activity.

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  10. Anthropology

    Monkey Business

    They're pugnacious and clever, and they have complex social lives—but do capuchin monkeys actually exhibit cultural behaviors?

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  11. Health & Medicine

    All Roads Lead to RUNX

    Genetic mutations that predispose some people to the autoimmune diseases lupus, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis appear to have a common molecular feature: They derail the work of a protein, called RUNX1, that regulates how active certain genes are.

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  12. Materials Science

    Forensics on Trial

    A decades-long practice of matching bullets on the basis of their chemical makeup is flawed, and the story behind this forensic technique reveals how science can get distorted in the courtroom.

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