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5 STORY ONE
s Cash register receipts deposit
worrisome chemical on fingers
7 MOLECULES
s Online gamers beat computer
at protein-folding task
s Sniffing out hidden graves
8 GENES & CELLS
s Genes support sponges’ spot
at base of animal family tree
s Cellular suicide plays dual
role in cancer growth
9 BODY & BRAIN
s Violent dreams presage
brain’s decline
s Termite hors d’oeuvres beef
up gut bacteria
10 LIFE
s Marine census documents
oceanic diversity
s Original marsupial hailed
from South America
s Contraceptives may make
female lemurs less attractive
s Duck genitals grow longer
with competition
12 ATOM & COSMOS
s Moon may be parched, after all
s Dark matter’s favorite galaxy
13 EARTH
s Solar flare warning signals
s Brazilian deforestation
diminishes
s Chinchilla droppings could
help gauge desert rains
Features
14 SCOUR POWER
COVER STORY: Scientists take
to the air and peer underwater
to see how hurricanes have
sculpted coastlines.
By Sid Perkins
18 CANCER’S LITTLE HELPERS
When tiny hairpin molecules
known as microRNAs go awry,
cells can turn cancerous.
By Tina Hesman Saey
22 MINING FOR MISSING MATTER
Physicists build detectors in
underground lairs to hunt for
the dark stuff that makes up
most of the universe’s mass.
By Ron Cowen
Departments
2 FROM THE EDITOR
4 NOTEBOOK
28 BOOKSHELF
29 FEEDBACK
32 COMMENT
Chemistry Nobel laureate
Harold Kroto issues a call to
improve science education
and promote sustainability.
