5
10
22
26
5 STORY ONE
s s Nosmoresfundssmeanssendsofs
linesforsU.S.satomssmashers
8 HumaNS
s s Pokersfacesdoesn’tsconceals
whichschimpsissdominant
s s Gradesschoolsfriendshipss
oftensaren’tsreciprocal
s s Writingsawaysexamsworries
s s IronsAgesbrewerysuncovered
10 LifE
s s Earlysdinoswasssmallsandslights
withsansappetitesforsmeat
s s IDstagsshinderspenguins
s s Birdssusesplasticsnestsdecors
ass“keep-out”ssigns
s s Slimesmoldssfarmsforsfood
12 a TOm & COSmOS
s s Intergalacticsneighborhoods
hostssextra-heavysblacksholes
s s Asverysrockysexoplanet
s s Plancksspotsscoldestsclumps
13 TECHNOLOgY
s s FruitsfliessoffersITssupport
14 gENES & CELLS
s s Laser-guidedswormscontrol
s s Asthirdsroutesforsbiosynthesis
15 SCiENCE & SOCiETY
s s Sciences TalentsSearchsfinalists
16 bOd Y & bRaiN
s s Evaluatingsgoodscholesterol
s s Vaccinesstymiesscocaine’sss
journeystosthesbrain
17 EaRTH
s s Anotherswarmestsyear
Features
18 aLpHabET Of LifE
COVER STORY: Howsjustsfours
geneticsletterssbecamesencodeds
insthesblueprintsforsallslifesons
Earthsremainssonesofsnature’ss
biggestsmysteries.
By Marissa Cevallos
22 SiziNg up THE ELECTRON
Bysmeasuringsaspropertyscalleds
theselectricsdipolesmoment,s
researcherssseekstosrevealsthes
electron’ssinnersshapes—sands
answersascosmicspuzzlesalongs
thesway.
By Alexandra Witze
26 iN THE zONE
Ashumanstendencystoslooks
forsrepetitions—swhethersins
sportssscoringsorsthesstocks
markets—smayshavesrootssinsas
hunter-gathererspast.s
By Bruce Bower
Departments
2 fROm THE Edi TOR
4 NOTEbOOk
30 fEEdbaCk
31 bOOkSHELf
32 COmmENT
MITsengineersRobertsLangers
onsthesconceptsofsconvergence.s
COvER From grazing
giraffes to soaring birds
and swaying trees, all life
on Earth shares a com-
mon genetic code whose
origin remains mysterious.
Janel Kiley
