Being Stephen Hawking
Former Nature editor John Maddox on one of the most famous scientists of our age
by Sir John Maddox
Stephen Hawking Is Making His Comeback
Stephen Hawking, the master of time, space, and black holes, steps back into the spotlight to secure his scientific legacy—and to explain the greatest mystery in physics: the origin of the universe.
Set Your CT Scanner to "Kill" and Look Inside Some Fossils
Penetrating chunks of amber and ancient rock, powerful new imaging machines render 3-D portraits of fossil creatures concealed for millions of years.
The Secret Sauce of Hi-Tech: Obscure Metals
The metals of modern technology lie hidden in a handful of unlikely spots, from frozen Russian plains to sweltering African valleys.
In the Future, Doing Science Is Like Blogging
Fiction from Bruce Sterling: "If you can read a popular-science publication (and enjoy it), then you most likely have enough brainpower to help us make massive scientific breakthroughs..."
Earth's Own Aliens: They Light Up & Live in the Deep
Marine biologist Edie Widder's underwater spy camera is an underwater SETI, finally giving humans a chance to see the freaky world of deep-ocean bioluminescent animals.
Shadow Life
DISCOVER Fiction: In the post-economic future, big-ticket science is dead and amateurs hunt aliens using gear scored cheap on eBay.
How Much of Your Memory Is True?
New research shows that memories are constantly being re-written by our minds.
What Do Urban Sounds Do to Your Brain?
A sonic tour of New York, from the agonizing screech of the Union Square subway station to one of the quietest rooms in the city: Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
Why Ghost Hunters Is the Best Science Show on TV
No matter how silly and misguided, Ghost Hunters captures an element of science that Numb3rs, House, and even Mythbusters miss.
Slime City: Where Germs Talk to Each Other and Execute Precise Attacks
For 300 years, scientists thought of bacteria as individual killers, like a bunch of piranhas. Recently, we've found that's almost entirely wrong.
