Ten Years of the Chornobyl Era

The environmental and health effects of nuclear power's greatest calamity will last for generations

The Birth of Complex Cells

Humans, together with all other animals, plants and fungi, owe their existence to the momentous transformation of tiny, primitive bacteria into large, intricately organized cells

Searching for Life on Other Planets

Life remains a phenomenon we know only on Earth. But an innovative telescope in space could change that by detecting signs of life on distant planets

Smart Rooms

In creating computer systems that can identify people and interpret their actions, researchers have come one step closer to building helpful home and work environments

Alcohol in American History

National binges have alternated with enforced abstinence for 200 years, but there may be hope for moderation

Captured in Amber

The exquisitely preserved tissues of insects in amber reveal some genetic secrets of evolution

Waiting for Breakthroughs

"Nanoists" envision global abundance emerging from the manipulation of single atoms and molecules. But this prophecy has been challenged by researchers who work at a scale of billionths of a meter...

The New Backyard Seismology