Margaret Wertheim

1. Human Genes Researchers studying the human genome discover that we have just 30,000 genes — far fewer than previously thought. A roundworm has 19,098, a fruit fly 13,601. 2. Alien Atmosphere First detection of an atmosphere on a planet orbiting a distant star. Since an atmosphere is probably a......

1. CO2 The president kicks off the year by reneging on his campaign promise to establish mandatory reduction targets for carbon-dioxide emissions. 2. Kyoto Schmyoto Bush goes for the Big One and rejects the Kyoto Protocol, which holds nations to the Rio Treaty signed a decade ago by Bush Senior......

In the weeks since the attacks of September 11, one thing has become clear -- terrorism is now a high-tech profession, whether it‘s mastering the controls of a jumbo jet or manufacturing weapons-grade anthrax spores. Some observers may find it curious then that President Bush seems more inclined to invite......

“Every time I do an interview on a station with a predominantly black listenership, someone invariably calls in and asks, ‘Well why should our kids learn evolution? Evolution is just the source of racism.’” Alas, poor Darwin. Probably no scientist in history has been more hated than this mild-mannered Englishman......

DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF LIFE, AN adequate supply of iron is critical for healthy growth, yet 30 percent of the world's population suffers from iron deficiency, mostly women and children, mostly in the developing world. Anemia, impaired learning ability, increased susceptibility to infection and reduced capacity to work......

Photo by Zachary Scott The late-afternoon sun casts a golden radiance across the fields and, between the rows of young spring plants, jackrabbits bounce up and down. It's a scene straight out of some deep rural fantasy: nature benignly transforming sunlight and soil into nourishment for our tables. But all......

Illustration by Alex Munn It was a figure I kept hearing again and again: 50 percent of South African women can now expect to be raped sometime during their lives. Everywhere I went on a recent visit to the beautiful, troubled city of Cape Town, people were talking about rape......