9
10
22
26
5 STORY ONE
s In networks, an unassuming
few can control the many
8 HUMANS
s No nuts for “Nutcracker Man”
s Stone Age Russians left
confusing calling card
9 LIFE
s Giant winged ant left its mark
in Wyoming
s Saltwater worms may have
gone fresh early
10 ATOM & COSMOS
s Dark matter detected, maybe
s Crab Nebula’s gamma-ray
belches befuddle astronomers
12 GENES & CELLS
s Fertilization sprays zinc
sparks
s Sickle-cell disease’s
antimalaria secret
s Reprogrammed stem cells face
fight from immune system
14 SCIENCE & SOCIETY
s High school whiz kids win big
in Los Angeles
15 ENVIRONMENT
s Ozone hole over Antarctica
seems to be healing
s Climate changes skew global
grain harvests
16 BODY & BRAIN
s High autism rates a surprise
in South Korea
s Heart bypass surgeries
diminishing
Features
18 STELLAR ODDBALLS
COVER STORY: Beyond the
bounty of exoplanets spotted
by the Kepler telescope, astronomers have identified pulsating, spinning and otherwise
unruly stars in its field of view.
By Charles Petit
22 HEALTHY AGING IN A PILL
Near-starvation diets may
foster long and healthy lives,
and scientists hope to do the
same with medications — but
without the calorie cut.
By Laura Beil
26 SIMPLE HERESY
Investment shortcuts often
reap greater rewards than
formulas found in standard
economics textbooks.
By Bruce Bower
Departments
2 FROM THE EDITOR
4 NOTEBOOK
30 BOOKSHELF
31 FEEDBACK
32 FROM THE ARCHIVE
In the late 1950s, roughly half
the astronomers who voted on
whether the universe began
with a Big Bang said “No.”
