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An Injection of Chaos Solves Decades-Old Fluid Mystery
In the 1960s, drillers noticed that certain fluids would firm up if they flowed too fast. Researchers have finally explained why.
E.O. Wilson Saw the World in a Wholly New Way
“Did you like the grenade I tossed in their midst?” the biologist asked me.
Readers Love Curious George. I Fell in Love with the Author’s Astronomy Books.
H.A. Rey recreated star maps with wit, grace, and accuracy.
What Makes Group Decisions Go Wrong. And Right.
Why intellectual laziness doesn’t have to lead to groupthink.
Detailed Footage Finally Reveals What Triggers Lightning
Scientists have never been able to adequately explain where lightning comes from. Now the first detailed observations of its emergence inside a cloud have exposed how electric fields grow strong enough to let bolts fly.
The Man Who Seduced the World with Whale Songs
Roger Payne sparked the anti-whaling movement. He’s not done yet.
Seeing the Big Picture: Moving From One Molecule to Many
We are living through a so-called “omics revolution,” with new technologies that make cellular analyses much more comprehensive.
Gravitational Waves Should Permanently Distort Space-Time
The “gravitational memory effect” predicts that a passing gravitational wave should forever alter the structure of space-time. Physicists have linked the phenomenon to a potential solution to the black hole information paradox.
The Beloved Mesolithic Girl
As a new mother, an anthropologist makes a moving discovery at an infant’s burial site.