Departments

The Sure Thing

Don't believe the deniers—science is a resolute enemy of erroneous conventional wisdom.
by Corey S. Powell

Big Idea: Seeing Crime Before It Happens

Can remote sensors give us Minority Report-like powers to detect people who will soon break the law?
by Joseph A. Bernstein

Saints + Sinners: Computer Gamers Do Serious Research

Impatient Futurist: Science Finds a Better Way to Teach Science

After doing some much-needed research, cognitive scienctists are suggesting a new way to boost students’ lagging scores: Get rid of the hallowed (and stultifying) classroom lecture.
by David H. Freedman; illustration by David Plunkert

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Alcohol

You can stash it in your muscles, you can make it in your intestines, and you can find it in space.
by LeeAundra Keany

Sewing Audio to Video, and Rubber Hands Onto People

When perceptions get mismatched in the mind, we can fall prey to maddening 
illusions, and reality is turned on its head.
by Carl Zimmer

Hot Science: The Best and Worst Geek Culture of 2011

This year, we were bested by a trivia-hungry 
supercomputer, mesmerized by a zombie apocalypse, and defended by a veritable army of superheroes. Here’s a look back at the best and worst of 2011, and 
a sneak peek (we used a time machine!) at what’s to come in 2012.

by Valerie Ross, Mary Beth Griggs, Gillian Conahan

Vital Signs: A Problem of the Heart, Head, or Hands?

A patient with a history of mental illness claims his hands are possessed. Could his delusional behavior indicate a serious medical condition?
by Dena Rifkin