Environment
Global Seed Vault Now Accepting Seeds
A secure place to store copies of crops and other plants in case of global calamity
Stories by Melinda Wenner
The Sciences
Rethinking the Wrinkling: Key Genes Cause Aging
Key genes, rather than cell and DNA damage, as causes of aging
Health
What makes pancreatic cancer so deadly?
Last week, NFL great Gene Upshaw passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer. Oncologist Allyson Ocean explains how the illness felled Upshaw only four days after doctors found it
The Sciences
Like the Taste of Chalk? You're in Luck--Humans May Be Able to Taste Calcium
Finding could explain why many people don't get enough of the nutrient and develop osteoporosis
Health
How to Be Popular during the Olympics: Be H. Lee Sweeney, Gene Doping Expert
Physiologist Lee Sweeney has been asked to dope an entire junior college football team, but his day job is studying age-related muscle decline
Mind & Brain
The Danger of Stress
Getting stressed isn't just a state of mind. It can also seriously harm the body.
Mind & Brain
Squeaky Mice Reveal Emotion, Self-Expression in the Brain
Mice sing complex ultrasonic songs that gives researchers clues to the genetic roots of pleasure
Health
Magnifying Taste: New Chemicals Trick the Brain into Eating Less
Compounds that enhance the sweet and salty flavors of foods could combat obesity and heart disease
Mind & Brain
Mind Reviews: Books, Movies & More
Reviews and recommendations from the August/September 2008 issue of Scientific American MIND
Mind & Brain
Treating Anxiety in Alcoholics may Reduce Cravings
A drug that blocks a stress mechanism in the brain diminishes alcohol urges
The Sciences
Microbiology—Bring in the Noise
New studies reveal how cells exploit biochemical randomness
Health
Going with His Gut Bacteria
The body and its intestinal flora produce chemicals with hidden health information, Jeremy Nicholson has found. Someday treating disease may mean treating those bacteria
Health
Improving Health by Targeting Gut Bacteria: A Q&A with Jeremy Nicholson
The body and its intestinal flora produce all sorts of chemicals that hold clues about a person's health. Jeremy Nicholson is deciphering the signals, which could lead to new kinds of medicines...
Technology
Hedy Lamarr: Not just a pretty face
How one of the best known actresses of mid-20th century revolutionized weapons systems and helped create cell phones
Health
Autism and Antibodies
Could mom's overzealous immune system put her child at risk?
Mind & Brain
Mind Reviews Books, Movies and More
Reviews and recommendations from the June/July 2008 issue of Scientific American MIND
Mind & Brain
Your Brain on Diabetes
More signs that insulin ills set off neurodegenerative conditions
Mind & Brain
Infected with Insanity: Could Microbes Cause Mental Illness?
Viruses or bacteria may be at the root of schizophrenia and other disorders
The Sciences
Alan Turing Comes Alive
A new play by A. Rey Pamatmat explores the mathematician's complexity
Mind & Brain
Mind Reviews Books, Movies and More
Reviews and recommendations from the April/May 2008 issue of Scientific American MIND
