http://discovermagazine.com Science, Technology, and The Future http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/06-discover-interview-roger-penrose-says-physics-is-wrong-string-theory-quantum-mechanics http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/06-discover-interview-roger-penrose-says-physics-is-wrong-string-theory-quantum-mechanics One of the greatest thinkers in physics says the human brain—and the universe itself—must function according to some theory we haven't yet discovered. Susan Kruglinski; photography by Oliver Chanarin http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/06-discover-interview-roger-penrose-says-physics-is-wrong-string-theory-quantum-mechanics/key_image Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:20:00 -0500 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:20:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/11-discover-interview-thanks-evolution-building-material-dna http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/11-discover-interview-thanks-evolution-building-material-dna Electronic computers are great at what they do. But to accomplish really complicated physical tasks—like building an insect—Erik Winfree says you have to grow them from DNA. Stephen Cass; photography by Spencer Lowell http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/11-discover-interview-thanks-evolution-building-material-dna/key_image Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/17-man-who-found-quarks-made-sense-of-universe http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/17-man-who-found-quarks-made-sense-of-universe Murray Gell-Mann had a smash success with particles, notorious dustups with Feynman, and a missed opportunity with Einstein. Susan Kruglinski; photography by Jamey Stillings http://discovermagazine.com/2009/apr/17-man-who-found-quarks-made-sense-of-universe/key_image Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:15:00 -0500 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:15:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right Molecular biologist Sean Carroll shows how evolution happens, one snippet of DNA at a time Pamela Weintraub; photographs by Saverio Truglia http://discovermagazine.com/2009/mar/19-dna-agrees-with-all-the-other-science-darwin-was-right/key_image Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:15:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/16-what-makes-you-uniquely-you http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/16-what-makes-you-uniquely-you What is consciousness? How does it work? Can it be created artificially? Gerald Edelman has spent a career studying these questions, and now reveals his answers. Susan Kruglinski http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/16-what-makes-you-uniquely-you/key_image Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:05:00 -0600 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:05:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/08-why-did-western-drs-promote-tobacco http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/08-why-did-western-drs-promote-tobacco Robert Proctor looks at the way knowledge advances—and sometimes takes great leaps backwards. Michael Abrams; photograph by Thomas Broening http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/08-why-did-western-drs-promote-tobacco/key_image Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:35:00 -0600 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:35:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/nov/13-the-monkey-whisperer-learns-the-secrets-of-primate-economics http://discovermagazine.com/2008/nov/13-the-monkey-whisperer-learns-the-secrets-of-primate-economics Laurie Santos, a Yale psychologist, has found that monkeys "buy" food that's on sale, dislike losing more than they like winning, and decide that stuff that they can't get is sour grapes, anyway—just like humans. Linda Marsa; photography by Jeffery Salter http://discovermagazine.com/2008/nov/13-the-monkey-whisperer-learns-the-secrets-of-primate-economics/key_image Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:30:00 -0500 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:30:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/19-fighting-for-the-right-to-clone http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/19-fighting-for-the-right-to-clone Stem cell and cloning guru Robert Lanza has battled the Catholic Church, the White House, and violent protesters. Pamela Weintraub; photography by Michael Lewis http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/19-fighting-for-the-right-to-clone/key_image Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:55:00 +0000 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:55:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/aug/29-the-lifesaving-work-of-the-man-behind-a-civil-action http://discovermagazine.com/2008/aug/29-the-lifesaving-work-of-the-man-behind-a-civil-action Groundbreaking epidemiologist Phil Brown has become a champion for victims of environmental contamination. But can he balance both the science and the activism of his unique position? He answers this and more in a candid interview. Sheila Kaplan; photography by Christopher Churchill http://discovermagazine.com/2008/aug/29-the-lifesaving-work-of-the-man-behind-a-civil-action/key_image Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:40:00 +0000 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:40:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/16-is-the-universe-actually-made-of-math http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/16-is-the-universe-actually-made-of-math Max Tegmark, cosmologist and one of the world's most original—and unconventional—thinkers, says the universe is created by mathematical formulas. Adam Frank; photography by Erika Larsen http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/16-is-the-universe-actually-made-of-math/key_image Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:20:00 +0000 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:20:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/09-the-beautiful-mind-of-freeman-dyson http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/09-the-beautiful-mind-of-freeman-dyson Thoughts and illustrations from the legendary biologist and physicist Freeman Dyson: why nuking Japan was a mistake, how Biosphere II totally flopped, and why the worry about "dirty bombs" is just hysteria. Lauren Redniss http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/09-the-beautiful-mind-of-freeman-dyson/key_image Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:50:00 +0000 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:50:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/25-how-much-do-chemicals-affect-our-health http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/25-how-much-do-chemicals-affect-our-health An environmental crusader takes on special interests and investigates the possible causes of autism, asthma, and attention deficit disorder. Linda Marsa; photography by Jesse Chehak http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/25-how-much-do-chemicals-affect-our-health/key_image Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0000 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:00:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/apr/27-from-haitian-zombie-poison-to-inuit-knives http://discovermagazine.com/2008/apr/27-from-haitian-zombie-poison-to-inuit-knives Wade Davis, a real-life Indiana Jones, describes the Inuit "shit-knife": "As the feces began to freeze in his hand, he shaped it into an implement. When the blade started to take shape, he put a spray of saliva along the leading edge to sharpen it. He used it to butcher a dog. Improvised a sled with the dog’s rib cage and disappeared into the night." Jessica Ruvinsky http://discovermagazine.com/2008/apr/27-from-haitian-zombie-poison-to-inuit-knives/key_image Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:05:00 +0000 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:05:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/mar/21-george-schaller.s-grand-plan-to-save-the-marco-polo-sheep http://discovermagazine.com/2008/mar/21-george-schaller.s-grand-plan-to-save-the-marco-polo-sheep Schaller is building what may be the most ambitious wildlife park in the world, in the process saving the spectacular spiral-horned Marco Polo sheep. "Obviously humans are evolution’s greatest mistake," says the great conservationist. Marion Long, Photography by Doron Gild http://discovermagazine.com/2008/mar/21-george-schaller.s-grand-plan-to-save-the-marco-polo-sheep/key_image Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:45:00 +0000 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:45:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/20-a-chat-with-george-w-bush.s-conscience http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/20-a-chat-with-george-w-bush.s-conscience Leon Kass helped the administration's stamp out federal embryonic stem cell research, calls the children of unwed parents "bastards," and has despaired about the loss of "female modesty" in our culture. Francis Wilkinson, Photography by Charles Ommanney http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/20-a-chat-with-george-w-bush.s-conscience/key_image Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:00:00 +0000 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:00:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/your-brain-on-music-magnets-and-meth http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/your-brain-on-music-magnets-and-meth Meth gave Oliver Sacks the ability to identify people by scent. Music saved his life by practically dragging his beaten body down a mountain. But zapping his brain with magnets just gave him a headache. Susan Kruglinski http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/your-brain-on-music-magnets-and-meth/key_image Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:30:00 +0000 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:30:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/the-man-who-imagined-wormholes-and-schooled-hawking http://discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/the-man-who-imagined-wormholes-and-schooled-hawking Kip Thorne revolutionized physics, fixed up Contact, and straddled the Cold War divide. Susan Kruglinski http://discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/the-man-who-imagined-wormholes-and-schooled-hawking/key_image Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0000 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0000 Web Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/oct/the-granddaddy-of-space-colonization http://discovermagazine.com/2007/oct/the-granddaddy-of-space-colonization Fifty years after Sputnik, Burt Rutan leads a new space race. By Jack Hitt , Photography by Frank W. Ockenfels 3 http://discovermagazine.com/2007/oct/the-granddaddy-of-space-colonization/key_image Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:00:00 +0000 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:00:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/the-discover-interview http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/the-discover-interview The rules of language may reveal how our brains really work. Marion Long, Photograph by Sage Sohier http://discovermagazine.com/2007/sep/the-discover-interview/key_image Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0000 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/discover-interview-director-iraqi-national-museum http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/discover-interview-director-iraqi-national-museum The archaeologist talks about the loss of artifacts and why he fled his homeland. Andrew Lawler http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/discover-interview-director-iraqi-national-museum/key_image Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:00:00 +0000 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:00:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/william-gibson-discover-interview http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/william-gibson-discover-interview Gibson explains how the Internet is as primal as cities, ignorance can lead to profundity, and the real world switched places with cyberspace. Marion Long http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/william-gibson-discover-interview/key_image Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:45:00 +0000 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:45:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/the-discover-interview-henrik-svensmark http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/the-discover-interview-henrik-svensmark Physicist Henrik Svensmark says natural variations in solar activity are mostly to blame for global warming. It goes like this: more sun storms suppress more cosmic rays, which causes fewer clouds to form, allowing more sunlight to reach Earth. Carbon dioxide's role—and humanity's guilt—could be much smaller than we’ve been led to believe. Marion Long http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/the-discover-interview-henrik-svensmark/key_image Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:35:00 +0000 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:35:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/the-discover-interview-david-brin http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/the-discover-interview-david-brin Brin says, "Respect the masses. Nearly all futuristic movies and novels seem to wallow in the same smug assumption that most people are fools. This stereotype led content owners to envision the Internet as a delivery conduit to sell movies to passive couch potatoes." David Kushner, photograph by Brigitte Sire http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/the-discover-interview-david-brin/key_image Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:45:00 +0000 Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:45:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-discover-interview-marc-hauser http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-discover-interview-marc-hauser Harvard psychologist Marc Hauser says evolution hardwired us to tell right from wrong as naturally as we understand language. But here's the confusing part: It also gave us a lot of wiggle room. Josie Glausiusz Photograph by Doron Gild http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-discover-interview-marc-hauser/key_image Thu, 10 May 2007 20:25:00 +0000 Thu, 10 May 2007 20:25:00 +0000 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/the-discover-interview-paul-allen http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/the-discover-interview-paul-allen The cofounder of Microsoft, one of the richest people in the world, is throwing his fortune at science ventures that would make Jules Verne and Stanley Kubrick proud. Evan Ratliff http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/the-discover-interview-paul-allen/key_image Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:10:00 +0000 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:10:00 +0000 Print Article