Vol. 187 No. 13

Reviews & Previews

Science Visualized

Notebook

Features

  • illustration of New Horizons journey to Pluto

    Rendezvous with Pluto

    Earth will get its first good look at Pluto and its five known moons when New Horizons sails past on July 14.

  • Pictures of criminals

    Rehab for psychopaths

    Psychopaths often don’t fit movie stereotypes, but they share particular characteristics. New research shows that, contrary to popular thought, cognitive behavioral therapy can help some psychopaths stay out of prison.

More Stories from the June 27, 2015 issue

  1. drugs in fingerprints
    Chemistry

    Fingerprints give away more than identity

    Scientists can now detect and measure the amount of illegal drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, on a lone fingerprint.

    By
  2. Supernova
    Astronomy

    Peeks into early life of supernovas show how to blow up a star

    Multiple supernovas show off some of the ways a star can explode.

    By
  3. California two-spot octopus
    Animals

    Octopuses can ‘see’ with their skin

    Eyes aren’t the only cephalopod body parts with light-catching molecules.

    By
  4. eyelid
    Genetics

    Mutations that drive cancer lurk in healthy skin

    Healthy tissue carries mutations that drive cancer, samples of normal skin cells show.

    By
  5. dead dolphin
    Environment

    Rising dolphin deaths linked to Deepwater Horizon spill

    Lung lesions and other injuries link an extensive die-off of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

    By
  6. gene stats
    Genetics

    A billion years of evolution doesn’t change some genes

    Human genes can substitute for 47 percent of essential genes in baker’s yeast, new research shows.

    By
  7. pain path
    Neuroscience

    No-pain gene discovered

    Scientists have identified a new genetic culprit for the inability to perceive pain.

    By
  8. illustration of Ebola entering the cell
    Health & Medicine

    Ebola gatekeeper protein identified

    Ebola’s ability to infect appears to depend on a key transport protein that guides the virus into cells.

    By
  9. upper jaw with teeth
    Humans

    Fossils suggest another hominid species lived near Lucy

    Fossil jaws dating to over 3 million years ago may add a new species to the ancient hominid mix.

    By
  10. Cranium 17
    Anthropology

    Double blow to skull is earliest evidence of murder, a 430,000-year-old whodunit

    A 430,000-year-old hominid skull shows signs of murder, making it the earliest suspected homicide.

    By
  11. dino egg
    Paleontology

    Dino eggs came in different colors

    Dinosaur eggs came in bold shades of blue-green and brown-speckled blue.

    By
  12. pictionary drawings
    Neuroscience

    Cerebellum may be site of creative spark

    Brain scan experiment hints that cerebellum might have a hand in getting creative juices flowing.

    By
  13. Typhoon Haiyan
    Climate

    Titanic typhoons are in the forecast

    Warming subsurface water in the Pacific will boost average typhoon intensity 14 percent by 2100, new research predicts.

    By
  14. new volcanic islands
    Earth

    Eruptions create new islands in the Red Sea

    Satellite maps reveal the formation of two new volcanic islands in the Red Sea.

    By
  15. CMS collision illustration
    Particle Physics

    LHC set to see beyond Higgs

    Physicists hope a revamped Large Hadron Collider will discover new particles and forces that could help explain dark matter and other mysteries of the universe.

    By
  16. climate data
    Climate

    Global warming ‘hiatus’ just an artifact, study finds

    Skewed data may have caused the appearance of the recent global warming hiatus, new research suggests.

    By
  17. A pig in a field
    Animals

    Pigs don’t deserve the name ‘Lesser Beasts’

    From ancient forests to modern farms, pigs’ relationship with humans has been symbiotic.

    By
  18. Odontomachus brunneus ant
    Animals

    How a trap-jaw ant carries a baby

    Powerful jaws make the Odontomachus brunneus ant a skilled escape artist.

    By
  19. kids with tablets
    Science & Society

    Tech in the classroom foreseen 50 years ago

    Fifty years ago, scientists were looking forward to technology in the classroom.

    By
  20. Climate

    Everest could lose most of its ice by the end of the century

    Glaciers around Mt. Everest will lost most of their ice by the end of the century, new research predicts.

    By
  21. Health & Medicine

    Mice become thin-skinned in space

    Long trips in space may thin the skin.

    By