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Table of Contents January-February 2013

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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. Higgs: What causes the weight of the world

by Tim Folger

Physicists have identified the "God" particle responsible for all matter in the universe, coming closer to a theory of everything.

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2. Robo-Geologist Lands on Mars

by Andrew Grant

After enduring seven minutes of terror, NASA's $2.5 billion rover is already finding proof that the Red Planet was once hospitable to life.

3. A Census of Your Insides

by Kat McGowan

A pioneering project is mapping the microbes that live inside us all, and showing how they can be tapped to fight colitis, asthma, and cancer.

4. Earth Goes to Extremes

by Linda Marsa

Record heat waves, droughts, floods, and melting: In 2012 our planet's weather went places it had never gone before, leading to a string of costly and destabilizing environmental disasters.

5. Old Dads Yield New Mutations

by Jill Neimark

Elderly fathers pass along many more DNA errors than do young ones—a source of genetic diversity, but also a possible driver of autism and other disorders.

6. The Private Spaceflight Era Begins

by Gregory Mone

Enterprising companies are jostling to conquer the new orbital economy.

7. Debut of the Mind-Controlled Robots

by Kevin Berger

Using a brain implant, a paralyzed stroke victim directed a robotic arm to accomplish basic tasks. People who cannot control their limbs may soon regain movement and independence.

8. Mapping the Dark Cosmos

by Tim Folger

Dark matter—the unseen stuff that makes up more than four-fifths of the matter in the universe—is finally coming into view. What we see may change our entire picture of reality.

9. Social Jet Lag

by Erik Ness

Irregular sleep patterns associated with intense weekday work may drive diabetes and obesity. And sleep deprivation boosts the risk of hypertension, Alzheimer's, even cancer.

10. Natural Gas Boom Rewrites the Energy Rules

by Jesse David Jenkins

Fracking has finally challenged coal's dominance.

DEPARTMENTS

Discover Calendar

January/February Calendar

The days may be short in January and February, but there's no shortage of science events on offer.

96. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

by Jennifer Barone

A high-tech sub and its famous pilot explore the little-understood world of the deep ocean floor.

Save the Linebacker

by W. Roy Smythe

When a young athlete arrives in the ER dangerously short of breath, a surgeon must improvise to save his life.

Impatient Futurist

The Happiness App

by David Freedman

Improving your mood can begin with a phone download. And from there—perhaps you would care for a magnetic mental massage?

20 Things You Didn't Know About...

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Inner Earth

by Rebecca Coffey

It's got solid and liquid parts, it's almost as hot as the sun, and it may be teeming with life.

DATA

11. Germany Sets Solar-Electricity Record

by Jesse David Jenkins

Millions of solar panels stretch across the country, from the streets of Munich to the fields of Bavaria.

13. Study Decodes DNA's True Meaning

by Ed Yong

Massive research project provides the first comprehensive look at what our non-coding DNA is doing.

15. Self-Driving Cars Hit the Road

by Michael Fitzgerald

Where will autonomous (and semiautonomous) vehicles go from here?

17. Relic Protoplanet Is a Survivor

by Fangfei Shen

Unexpected findings on the surface of Vesta.

19. 3-D Printers Make Every Home a Factory

by Adam Piore

From chemicals to cars, 3-D printing may be the manufacturing method of the future.

coal-power-plant

12. Coal Power Cleans Up Its Act

by Jill Neimark

New regulations could prevent thousands of heart and asthma attacks every year.

14. Alien Planet Found Around Nearest Star

by Andrew Grant

Of the 100 exoplanets discovered in 2012, one rises above the rest.

16. Should Sugar Be Regulated Like a Drug?

by Melinda Wenner Moyer

The debate continues on the negative health effects of this sweetener.

18. Spine Stimulator Lets the Paralyzed Stand Again

by Nate Berg

The therapy that may one day allow paraplegics to walk.

20. Gastric Bypass: A Miracle Cure for Diabetes?

by Bijal P. Trivedi

Surgery outperforms drugs in treating type 2 diabetes.

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