Chemistry
Life on Earth Came from a Hot Volcanic Pool, Not the Sea, New Evidence Suggests
Deep oceans were thought to hold life’s origins. New evidence points instead to an active volcanic landscape
Features
Evolution
Fossil Pigments Reveal the True Colors of Dinosaurs
Long thought impossible, preservation of fossil pigments is allowing scientists to reconstruct extinct organisms with unprecedented accuracy—a feat that is yielding surprising insights into the lives they led...
Evolution
Ancient Stone Tools Force Rethinking of Human Origins
Ancient stone tools from Kenya shatter the classic story of when and how humans became innovators
Evolution
Naturalist Trevor Goward Helps to Overturn a 150-Year-Old Truth of Science
How a naturalist’s observations in the wilds of British Columbia inspired a scientist to discover hidden symbioses—overturning 150 years of accepted scientific wisdom
Biology
Tiny Creatures, Part Plant and Part Animal, May Control the Fate of the Planet
Mixotrophs, tiny sea creatures that hunt like animals but grow like plants, can change everything from fish populations to rates of global warming
Astronomy
Our Solar System Was Born through High-Energy Crashes, Not Stately Growth
Our neighborhood of planets was not created slowly, as scientists once thought, but in a speedy blur of high-energy crashes, destruction and rebuilding
Space & Physics
Is Dark Matter Made of Black Holes?
A hidden population of black holes born less than one second after the big bang could solve the mystery of dark matter
Evolution
The Exercise Paradox
Studies of how the human engine burns calories help to explain why physical activity does little to control weight—and how our species acquired some of its most distinctive traits
Public Health
From Liberia, Ebola Survivors Report They Are Still Afflicted with Disabling Symptoms
Brain deficits and more torment many virus survivors in Liberia. The top suspects are hidden viral remnants and immune system overreactions
Neuroscience
Brain Cells Communicate with Mechanical Pulses, Not Electric Signals
Physicists who have revived experiments from 50 years ago say nerve cells communicate with mechanical pulses, not electric ones
Neuroscience
How One Memory Attaches to Another
A technical revolution provides insight into how the brain links memories, a process critical for understanding and organizing the world around us
Cognition
Evidence Rebuts Chomsky's Theory of Language Learning
Much of Noam Chomsky’s revolution in linguistics—including its account of the way we learn languages—is being overturned
Space & Physics
Dark Energy: No Answers but More Questions
Why is the expansion of the universe accelerating? After two decades of study, the answer is as mysterious as ever, but the questions have become clearer
Biotech
The First Tinkering with Human Heredity May Happen in the Infertility Clinic
Scientists are on the threshold of crossing a sharp ethical line: permanently altering the human genetic code
Quantum Computing
Quantum Computers Compete for "Supremacy"
Two technologies may be on the verge of surpassing even the most powerful digital computers in a year or so, but key challenges remain unsolved
Departments
- From the Editor
Science, Upended
- The Science of Health
New Nerve Drugs May Finally Prevent Migraine Headaches
- Graphic Science
Some of the Best Science Can Slumber for Years
