Stories by Marguerite Holloway

Into the Wilds of Africa

A sponge uses optical fibers
to gather sunlight

Editors' Note:
Mary Leakey, one of the world's most renowned hunters of early human fossils, died in Nairobi on December 9, 1996, at the age of 83. Crowning triumphs of her long career included such finds as the 1972 discovery (with Louis, her husband and collaborator) of 1.75-million-year-old remains from Homo habilis at Olduvai Gorge and the 1978 discovery of 3.6-million-year-old footprints at Laetoli, both in Tanzania.

This profile of Dr. Leakey, written by former news editor Marguerite Holloway, originally appeared in the October 1994 issue of Scientific American

Conservators are racing to save monuments threatened by development, pollution, looting and neglect. In the process, they are transforming the field of archaeology into a new science

Improving women's health means overhauling attitudes toward sex and addressing hidden epidemics, such as domestic violence

Oceanic biodiversity wanes as scientists ponder solutions

Women's health and rights shape Cairo document

Revised dates invigorate debate on human origins

Endometriosis linked to dioxin and immunologic dysfunction

Can we rebuild it? The field of ecological restoration is evaluating techniques to restore nature and is grappling with definitions of success