November 2009

3 Faces of Eve

Our reporter tries out a trio of genetic tests to find out what they can tell her about her identity and her ancestry.

by Boonsri Dickinson

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November

Departments

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Computer Hacking

What's the connection between Steve Wozniak, the Pope, and Henry Kissinger? That's right, it's hacking.
 by Rebecca Coffey

Discover Interview: Miles of Wire, Reams of Print-Outs, and a Giant Discovery

Jocelyn Bell Burnell worked through old-school equipment and old-school sexism to find the first pulsar—the beginning of an extraordinary life in science.
 by Douglas Colligan

Vital Signs: An Uninvited Guest

The young woman carried a baby that wasn't her own—and wasn't even a human.
 by Claire Panosian Dunavan

5 Questions: The Rock'n'Rolling, Sky-Diving Master of Memory

by Amy Barth

A Striking Visualization of Hurricane Katrina

Scientists at LSU’s Center for Computation & Technology used the university’s supercomputer to integrate wind, temperature, and sea surge simulations with satellite data.

Think Tech: 4 Hi-Tech Ways to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner—and Store the Leftovers

by Rebecca Day; photography by Joshua Scott

Big Picture: The Banks That Prevent—Rather Than Cause—Global Crises

Seed banks put some much-needed wild vigor back into today's specialized varieties, protecting critical crops from being wiped out.
 by Maggie Koerth-Baker

The Brain: Humanity's Other Basic Instinct: Math

New research suggests that math has evolved its way right into our neurons—and monkeys', too.
 by Carl Zimmer

Visual Science: Polishing a Cosmic Spyglass

A tune-up for one of the most sophisticated imaging devices ever made

The 3-D Simulation that Lets Your Surgeon Practice...on You

A new technology lets doctors test out procedures on a simulation of the patient's anatomy.
 by Rebecca Day

What is This? A Bioluminescent Mushroom?

Hint: It's actually not on the ground, nor in the oceans, but up in the sky—way up in the sky.
 by Andrew Grant