Empire of Uniformity
With its vast area and long history of settlement, China ought to have hundreds of distinct languages and cultures. In fact, all the evidence indicates that it once did. So what happened to them all?
by Jared Diamond
The Fake Smell of Death
Novel chemicals may help teach dogs to sniff out corpses, drugs, and bombs.
The Seafloor From Space
The world's best map of the seafloor comes from satellites.
Big G
Ever since Isaac Newton watched an apple fall to the ground, scientists have taken gravity for granted. Until, that is, they tried to measure its strength with high-tech precision. Their results were so incredibly far off as to be newsworthy.