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May

Table of Contents May 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.

FEATURES

Humanity's High Hopes for Our Robotic Offspring

by Bruno Maddox

No longer the fancy of science fiction, androids are here right now—draped in fleshlike rubber and programmed to ease our fears.

Child's Plague: Inside the Boom in Childhood Diabetes

by Dan Hurley

A decade ago juvenile diabetes was rare. A controversial new theory may reveal what causes the disease—and how to keep the incidence from going still higher.

The Moon Is Always New Nowadays

by Jennifer Barone, Andrew Grant, Andrew Moseman

It is wetter, weirder, and a lot more valuable than we knew. No wonder Earth’s nearest neighbor in space is suddenly attracting a ton of interest.

The Rise of the Machines Is Not Going as We Expected

Robots are becoming ever more ubiquitous, from rescue missions to toddlers' rooms to other planets, but they haven't become much more like us.

How Does a Terminator Know When to Not Terminate?

by Mark Anderson

In the skies above Afghanistan and along the roadsides of Iraq, unmanned military machines are changing the nature of combat. These robots may soon be making life-or-death decisions themselves.

DEPARTMENTS

Numbers

Numbers: Genomics, From the Human Genome Project to the Fish With the Giant Genome

by Jeremy Jacquot

20 Things You Didn't Know About...

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

by Rebecca Coffey

The water under the oceans, how your own hair can burn you, and more

What Is This?

What Is This? A Bouquet of Glass Flowers?

by Andrew Grant

Hint: Its tannin content can poison horses, and the flower-like things are actually hairy appendages.

The Brain

The Brain: The First Yardstick for Measuring Smells

by Carl Zimmer

Smell is a powerful and evocative sense yet also a deeply enigmatic one. So scientists have invented a more concrete way to pin down what our noses are telling us.

Hot Science

The Best of Current Science Culture

by Andrew Moseman, Laurie Rich, Jen Barone, Bo Zhang

5 Questions

5 Questions for the Host of Iran's Star Parties

by Andrew Grant

Inspired by Carl Sagan, Babak Tafreshi is on a mission to bring the wonder of astronomy to the Middle East, and to the world.

Vital Signs

Vital Signs: Saving One Life in the Carnage of the Haitian Earthquake

by H. Lee Kagan

One woman remains brave in the face of life-threatening injuries, while an urgent medical response swings into action.

Destination Science

Destination Science: Caves, Hot springs, and Diamonds in the Ozarks

by Leeaundra Keany

Arkansas' unique geological history has produced a surprising number of beautiful natural attractions.

Sliced

Sliced: It Tastes, It Talks, It Taunts—the Tongue

by Jocelyn Rice

DATA

Scientists Are Ready to Build Some Galaxies

by Adam Hadhazy

Thanks to recent observations and telescopes that will come online soon, a detailed account of the 13.7-billion-year history of the cosmos is finally within reach.

Can a Pill Keep Your DNA Young?

by Susan Karlin

The first drug targeting telomeres, now sold as a nutritional supplement, will soon face the harsh light of peer review.

X-Ray Vision Is So 20th Century

by Nick Zautra

Researchers are building new systems that see through walls using radiation that's a lot safer than X-rays.

Your Appendix: The Enigma Inside You

by Bo Zhang

Some researchers are questioning this organ’s reputation for uselessness, while others look for novel ways to treat its malfunctions.

Climate Change Gets Wet

by Laurie Rich

Researchers have recently started to pay more attention to how water vapor in the atmosphere is related to global warming.

Fighting Against a Global Dust Bowl

by Michael Tennesen

Development, drought, and other factors have conspired to turn wide stretches from grassland and farmland into dusty deserts and scrubland. But there are some ideas about how to fight that trend and prevent dust from poisoning people and contributing to global warming.