The Grinches That Stole Valentine's Day: Creatures That Say No to Sex

02.14.2012 From "lesbian lizards" to sea stars, some animals can survive for quite a while without mating, thank you very much.

by Jennifer Welsh

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Scrapes, Granaries & Bowers: The Wide World of Avian Architecture

11.21.2011 Bird nests can be simple or elaborate, as small as a hazelnut, or enormous, weighing several tons. They can last a few weeks or a century, and can be isolated or one among a half million of similar nests.

by Meera Subramanian

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Don't Send an Astronaut to Do a Space-Robot's Job

10.12.2011 Scientists and engineers are working on machines to do the most difficult jobs in space: drill holes on the Moon, sail the seas of Titan, and bring back rocks from Mars.

by Andrew Grant

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Unraveling the Mysteries Under Our Very Feet

08.11.2011 The farthest we have ventured inside our own planet got us only 0.4 percent of the way to the core. The inner earth has been terra incognita until some recent advances in peering deep below Earth's crust.

by Will Hunt

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Where’d That Beetle Find a Screwdriver? 6 Machines Created by Evolution

08.05.2011 Simple machines hidden are where you least expect them. Take a closer look.

by Veronique Greenwood

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Beautiful, Edible Science: Cold Smoke, Flaming Oranges & Gelatinized Skin

07.20.2011 A physicist's monster cookbook brings bold experiments into the kitchen.

by Wayt Gibbs and Nathan Myhrvold

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The Scientist Who Drew Brains, and Then a Nobel Prize

06.27.2011 With an artist’s eye 
and a scientist’s mind, 
anatomist Santiago 
Ramón y Cajal was the 
first to see—and illustrate
—what neurons really do. 
His exquisitely detailed 
drawings changed our 
understanding of the brain 
and nervous system.

How to Build the Ultimate Naval Defense: Uber-Powerful Lasers

06.21.2011 The U.S. Navy wants to put powerful lasers on its ships to shoot down artillery shells and even cruise missiles at the speed of light (and really, who wouldn't). But there are a few scientific details to sort out before sailors can deploy the beams. "First we want to make sure the physics is right before throwing buckets of salt water over the thing," says Ed Pogue.

by Olivia Koski

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8 Amazing Animal Migrations

05.05.2011 Some creatures just aren't happy spending all year in one house. Here are some of the longest and most impressive yearly voyages by land, air, and sea.

by Patrick Morgan

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