Scientific American Magazine Vol 322 Issue 3

Scientific American

Volume 322, Issue 3

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Features

The Married Researchers Racing to Stop Prion Disease

The Married Researchers Racing to Stop Prion Disease

For Sonia Minikel Vallabh and Eric Vallabh Minikel, the quest to prevent a fatal neurodegenerative disease is personal

Is This Indonesian Cave Painting the Earliest Portrayal of a Mythical Story?

Archaeologists have dated figurative rock art from Sulawesi to at least 43,900 years ago

How a Dispute over a Single Number Became a Cosmological Crisis

How a Dispute over a Single Number Became a Cosmological Crisis

Two divergent measurements of how fast the universe is expanding cannot both be right. Something must give—but what?

A Breakthrough in Genetic Medicine for Rare Diseases

A long-disdained therapy that targets RNA is suddenly achieving spectacular success

What Is Really Killing Monarch Butterflies?

Some scientists suspect that Roundup and milkweed loss aren’t the only culprits

The Brain Learns in Unexpected Ways

White matter, the insulation around our neural wiring, plays a critical role in acquiring knowledge 

The Hidden Toll of Wildfires

A huge aerial campaign seeks to understand the effects of biomass smoke on human health

Departments

Advances
In Case You Missed It
White Noise Helps Mice Distinguish Similar Tones
Scientists Sculpt Nanoparticle Shells with Light
Antibiotics May Compromise Manure's Carbon-Fixing Effects
Burned Habitats Benefit Bats
Ann Druyan Is Reimagining the Future
Map of Antarctica's Bedrock Reveals Vulnerabilities
Kilometers of "Dark Cable" Form the Newest Seismic Sensors
Sweet Potato Sends Secret Signals
From the Editor
Introducing the March 2020 Issue
Anti Gravity
Some Kinds of Doctors Get More Speeding Tickets Than Others
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago
50, 100 & 150 Years Ago: March 2020
Letters
Readers Respond to the November 2019 Issue
Graphic Science
Carbon Taxes Would Boost Jobs across the U.S.
Reviews
Recommended Books, March 2020
The Science of Health
It's Time to Take Delirium Seriously
The Science Agenda
5G Could Disrupt Accurate Weather Forecasts
Meter
Poem: We Need the Sky
Observatory
Ensuring Measurement Devices Are Accurate Is Tedious but Crucial
Ventures
Pricey Storm-Surge Barriers May Be Worth It
Forum
Medical Students Must Learn How Social Factors Affect Health