Scientific American Magazine Vol 325 Issue 2

Scientific American

Volume 325, Issue 2

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Features

Stuttering Stems from Problems in Brain Wiring, Not Personalities

Poor neural connections among areas that control movement and speech may be responsible and could be driven by genes

The Physics and Hype of Hypersonic Weapons

These novel missiles cannot live up to the grand promises made on their behalf, aerodynamics shows

Immune Cells Suggest New Alzheimer's Treatment Possibilities

Brain cells called microglia have different effects as the neurodegenerative disease progresses

Brown Dwarfs Could Reveal Secrets of Planet and Star Formation

They’re not quite stars and not quite planets but can help us understand both

Play Is Serious Business for Elephants

Play Is Serious Business for Elephants

Young dogs, apes and other animals develop skills needed to survive and reproduce

The Forgotten History of the World's First Trans Clinic

The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn’t fallen victim to Nazi ideology

How Quantum Computing Could Remake Chemistry

It will bring molecular modeling to a new level of accuracy, reducing researchers’ reliance on serendipity

Flu Has Disappeared for More Than a Year

Mask wearing, social distancing and other steps to stop COVID-19 have also curtailed influenza

Departments

Letters
Readers Respond to the April 2021 Issue
Reviews
Evolution of Cooperation, Animals' Sensory Systems, and Other New Books
Meter
Poem: 'Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (1822–1907)'
Advances
Plant Absorbs Toxic RDX Contamination
Martian Crust Could Sustain Life through Radiation
In Case You Missed It
New DNA Blood Test Could Pinpoint Cancer's Source in the Body
Virus or Bacterium? Rapid Test Pinpoints Infection's Cause
Natural Mosquito Repellent's Powers Finally Decoded
Flashy Plants Attract More Scientists
Ugly Diamonds Hold a Billion-Plus Years of Earth History
New Brain Implant Turns Visualized Letters into Text
See the Most Bizarre and Beautiful Animal Eyes on Earth
Climate Change Added $8 Billion to Hurricane Sandy's Damage
'Whitest White' Paint Beats the Heat
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: August 2021
From the Editor
Animal Play Is Delightfully Meaningful
Observatory
Why Bad Science Is Sometimes More Appealing Than Good Science
Graphic Science
Bird Species Abundances, from Biggest to Smallest
The Science of Health
A Few Days on Antibiotics Are Often as Good as Weeks, Research Shows
The Science Agenda
Why Anti-Trans Laws Are Anti-Science
Forum
Pesticides Are Killing the Organisms That Keep Our Soils Healthy