Evolution
The Rise of the First Animals
New fossils and analyses of ancient ocean chemistry reveal the surprisingly deep roots of the Cambrian explosion
Features
Space & Physics
The Experiment That Will Probe the Deepest Recesses of the Atom
Where do protons and neutrons get their mass and spin? Surprisingly, we don't know. A new facility promises to peek inside these particles to find answers
Evolution
Meet the Animals That Literally Sleep with One Eye Open
Why dolphins, seals and other animals developed the capacity to sleep with half their brain awake
Climate Change
Yes, Climate Change Is Making Severe Weather Worse
Recent disasters show how climate change is making winter storms, flooding rains and summer heat waves more extreme
Medicine
Could a Single Live Vaccine Protect against a Multitude of Diseases?
A controversial theory holds that one immunization, given properly, can protect against many diseases besides its target
Defense
We Can't Count on Missile Defense to Defeat Incoming Nukes
Missiles designed to destroy incoming nuclear warheads fail frequently in tests and could increase global risk of mass destruction
Biotech
Could the Next Big Information Technology Be ... DNA?
How DNA is used to store—and generate—information at extreme scales
Departments
- From the Editor
Understanding through Time
- Letters
Readers Respond to the February 2019 Issue
In Case You Missed It
Slime Thinks Fast and Slow
Zapping Nerves with Ultrasound Could Treat Inflammation
Deer Get by with a Little Help from Bat Friends
Cats Recognize Their Own Names--Even If They Choose to Ignore Them
Simulating Evolution to Determine the Fastest Wing
Monkeys Use Alarm Calls to Tell Predators to Scram
An "Internet of Plants" Could Tell Farmers When Crops Need Watering
- Forum
We Need More Women Working in the Energy Sector
- The Science of Health
Is Pot Any Good for Treating Pain?
- The Science Agenda
Bag Bans Won't Solve the Plastic Pollution Problem
- Recommended
An Intimate Portrait of Asian Elephants, A Case for Math-Driven Physics, and Other New Science Books
- Anti Gravity
Calculus Reveals the Universe—and Can Make a Tuna Melt Sandwich
- 50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
Rubella Vaccines Succeed; Alcock and Brown Fly across the Atlantic
- Graphic Science
Follow the Water
- The Intersection
Online Voting Seems like a Great Idea--Until You Look Closer
- Ventures
Virtual Assistants Are Getting Smarter All the Time. Can We Trust Them with Our Data?
