BiologyJune 1, 2012
How Bacteria in Our Bodies Protect Our Health
Researchers who study the friendly bacteria that live inside all of us are starting to sort out who is in charge—microbes or people?
Volume 306, Issue 5
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Features
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2012
Antimatter-Powered Supernovae
The largest stars die in explosions more powerful than anyone thought possible—some triggered in part by the production of antimatter
Mind & BrainJune 1, 2012
A Countdown to a Digital Simulation of Every Last Neuron in the Human Brain
Building a vast digital simulation of the brain could transform neuroscience and medicine and reveal new ways of making more powerful computers
The SciencesJune 1, 2012
The Problems with ITER and the Fading Dream of Fusion Energy
On the road to unlimited energy, the world's most complex science experiment encounters a few potholes
BiologyJune 1, 2012
Orchids Need Bees More Than Bees Need Them
Orchid pollinators are surprisingly promiscuous about the plants they like
Public HealthJune 1, 2012
Is Bird Flu Waiting to Explode?
By concocting bird flu viruses that could potentially spread easily among humans, researchers have ignited a debate about the need for safety versus open inquiry
PolicyJune 1, 2012
The Right Way to Get It Wrong
Most errors are quickly forgotten. Others end up remaking the face of science
BiologyJune 1, 2012
Hermit Crabs Trade Up by Exchanging Shells in Queue
Like people, hermit crabs and other animals trade up by treasuring what others leave behind
Public HealthJune 1, 2012
HIV Researcher Probes Vulnerabilities in the Virus for Clues to a Vaccine
Thumbi Ndung'u has moved from Africa to Massachusetts and back in a quest to halt the AIDS epidemic
Departments
Advances
Motherhood, Not Discrimination, May Account for the Gender Gap in Tenure-Track Science Jobs
What Is It?
New Evidence Shows that Mercury, the Planet Closest to the Sun, Is Icy
Microbial Mules: Engineering Bacteria to Transport Nanoparticles and Drugs
Volcanic Tremors May Help Predict Massive Eruptions
Old and New Neurons Trade Roles to Aid Memory
A New Science Kit Lets Teens Watch Neurons as They Fire
Happy Birthday, Electron
Traveling Salesman: A Seemingly Unsolvable Problem Offers a Glimpse of the Limits of Computation
Primeval Precipitation: What Fossilized Rain Reveals About Early Earth
Treating Baldness is "Not Like Growing Grass"
Dial-a-Flood: A New Smart Phone App Helps Residents and Researchers Predict Storm Surges
Parasite Insights: Using Lice to Map Socialization
Van Gogh's Sunflowers Were Genetic Mutants
From the Editor
Your Microbiome Community Brings New Meaning to "We the People"
Letters
Readers respond to "A Man-made Contagion" and Other Articles
The Science Agenda
Political Attacks on Planned Parenthood Are a Threat to Women's Health
Forum
How Close Is Iran to Exploding Its First Nuclear Bomb?
The Science of Health
Would You Like a Side of Dirt with That?
TechnoFiles
Down with Double Data Fees!
Reviews
Recommended: Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet
Skeptic
Evolution Explains Why Politics Is So Tribal
Anti Gravity
World-Class Athletes Are Pre-Performance Enhanced
Graphic Science