Marginalia

Abstract Science?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Abstraction, not just mathematics, has its place in science as it does in art

Keyboards, Codes and the Search for Optimality

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

In biology, as in technology, we should not confuse persistence with perfection

The Woof at the Door

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Dogs may have been man’s best friend for thousands of years longer than we realized

Darwin’s Enigmatic Health

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

After his world travels, Darwin became ill—but the cause remains unknown

The Squeeze Is On

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST

How do molecules behave at extremely high pressure?

Routes of Resistance

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST

Our focus on using antibiotics to kill bacteria has blinded us to their diverse functions in the organisms that make these chemicals

The Rat's Tale

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST

A historical "document" isn't always a writing sample

Why Think Up New Molecules?

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST

Adding to the world of known chemical structures is a wonderful mental experiment

All Things Small and Great

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST

It's time for a new, conservation-minded view of the microbial communities that live on and in us

Legally Sweet

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Conflict over the essences of sweeteners and olive oils brings chemistry into the courtroom

The Undiscovered Country

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

The statistics of death show leaps in modern life expectancy but fail to answer the question: Why do we die?

The Inimitable Caroline

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

The sister of British astronomer William Herschel was herself a capable and pioneering celestial observer

Freed to Fly Again

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

Through CT scans that can show sub-millimeter details, an imprisoned fossil reveals its secrets

For a Few Atoms More

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

When the game becomes less of a game

Jefferson, Buffon and the Moose

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

To counter the European insult that American species were weak and degenerate, Thomas Jefferson employed scathing rhetoric and a moose from Vermont

The Undiscovered Country

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

Beatrix Potter, Conservationist

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:00:00 EST

The author of Peter Rabbit was a complex woman whose quest for autonomy helped save a crucial part of the English countryside

By Any Other Name

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:00:00 EST

By giving tumors their right names, scientists gain power over them

Blow-up

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 EST

Images from the nanoworld challenge viewers' thinking

Missing Links and Found Links

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 EST

In and out of the water, transitional forms from the fossil record illuminate the nuts and bolts of evolution