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Table of Contents January-February 2010

Discover Magazine's mission is to enable readers to lead richer lives by explaining and expanding their universe. Each month we bring you in depth information and analysis from various topics ranging from technology and space to the living world we live in.

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FEATURES

#1: Vaccine Phobia Becomes a Public-Health Threat

by Andrew Grant

Autism research is progressing quickly, but without a solid diagnosis, some still blame vaccines.

#2: NASA Braces for Course Correction

by Fred Guterl

After the end of the disastrous space shuttle program, it's not at all clear where the space agency is going—or if it has enough money, skills, or buy-in to get there.

#3: Meet Ardi, Your First Human Ancestor

by Jill Neiman

A big analysis of the 4.4-million-year-old fossil shows that humans left the trees before leaving the forest and getting much smarter.

#4: Stem Cell Science Takes Off

by Monica Heger

Obama brought a big policy improvement, and researchers made big leaps with the science.

#5: Astronomer Alan Dressler

by Fred Guterl

Hot on the trail of the first galaxies in the universe

#6: Swine Flu Outbreak Sweeps the Globe

by Jeanne Lenzer

A scary build-up leads to a mostly mild conclusion.

#7: The Graphene Revolution

by Elizabeth Svoboda

Flexible, see-through, one-atom-thick sheets of carbon could be a key component for futuristic solar cells, batteries, and roll-up LCD screens—and perhaps even microchips.

#8: Earth-like Worlds Come Into View

by Michael D. Lemonick

Newly discovered planets are becoming ever smaller, lighter, and more familiar to us earthlings.

#9: Experimental Coal Plant Stashes CO2 Underground

by Eliza Strickland

If FutureGen can successfully sequester its emissions, it could be a model for clean energy in the future.

#10: Economist George Loewenstein

by Kathleen McGowan

He explains the psychology behind the current financial meltdown—and how we can overcome our dark side.

DEPARTMENTS

Top 100 Stories of 2009

#67: Where Do Enceladus' Mysterious Geysers Come From?

by Megan Talkington

Ammonia spotted in the jets could act as antifreeze in under-ice oceans.

Top 100 Stories of 2009

#78: California to Get Some Star Power—Literally

by Amy Barth

The National Ignition Facility starts warming up for its main act: nuclear fusion research.

Top 100 Stories of 2009

#85: Fossilized Plankton Show the Effect of Fossil Fuels

by Jocelyn Rice

Researchers develop a clever new technique to more accurately gauge historical levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Top 100 Stories of 2009

#100: Hubble's New Mind-Blowing 'Scopes

by Andrew Grant

The Hubble Space Telescope's new equipment, including the Wide Field Camera 3, provide even better images of the heavens.

The Primitive, Complicated, Essential Emotion Called Fear

by Carl Zimmer

Are you a man or a mouse? No matter how you answer, you experience fear the same way in your brain.

Vital Signs: The Changes of Aging

by H. Lee Kagan

After 50 years together, it's easy to see changes in your spouse. But what do the changes mean?

What Is This? Abstract Expressionism?

Hint: These plates cover a creature that's flat and round—hence its name.

DATA

#11: The Age of Genetic Medicine Begins

by Jill Neimark

After years of setbacks and failures, gene therapy begins to produce some viable cures.

#13: Hope for HIV Vaccine

by Nayanah Siva

In the unforgiving world of AIDS vaccines, even a modestly protective effect is big news.

#15: Model Solves Fundamental Packing Problem

by Stephen Ornes

How do different-sized spheres fit into a large container?

#17: The Common Cold Is Decoded

by Megan Talkington

And now we have a potential target: parts of the genome that are found within all 100 strains of sequenced cold viruses.

#19: New Battery Tech Could Transform the Car

by Jocelyn Rice

More power, faster charge, happier atmosphere.

#12: Oldest Animal Fossils Uncovered

by Douglas Fox

Sponges may have sprung up in special mini-ecosystems 850 million years ago.

#14: Intact Tissue Found in Dinosaur

by Amy Barth

“This type of preservation isn’t supposed to be possible,” says Mary Schweitzer, the guru of finding well-preserved dinosaurs. “But here it is.”

#16: The Moon: Cold, Wet, and Breathing

by Jennifer Barone

Bombing our closest neighbor pays off with a trove of information.

#18: Rise of the Mind Readers

by Jane Bosveld

fMRI gives unprecedented views of the mind in action.

#20: Can a Shock to the Brain Cure Depression?

by Kathleen McGowan

Deep brain stimulation is looking like a viable treatment for a growing list of brain issues.

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