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In The News
5 STORY ONE
s Autism-related disorders
share genetic activity patterns
8 LIFE
s Silk-shod tarantulas
s Dogs use physics to drink, too
s Zombie ants chomp at noon
s Microbe mats provided an
oxygen mask for early animals
10 BODY & BRAIN
s Meningitis rates fall
s Brain can recover after pain
11 MATTER & ENERGY
s Male gators make fancy waves
s Brains link sound to touch
12 EARTH
s Rogue waves tamed in a tub
s Hail to aerial microbes
14 ATOM & COSMOS
s Milky Way’s newfound arm
confers galactic symmetry
s Mapping the universe, in 3-D
16 HUMANS
s Innate geometry, QED
s Kids defend ownership rights
s Ladies like partner look-alikes
s Om-ing improves vision
s Depths of sadness exceed
heights of happiness
18 GENES & CELLS
s Bacterial infection could
beget Parkinson’s
s Atmosphere’s CO2 rise may
harm soil microbes
s Cell phones mess with body’s
bugs
Timeline
20 GOOD-BYE SHUTTLE
COVER STORY: During its
30-year run, the space shuttle — designed as a cheap way
to get people to space — has
returned some cool science.
By Alexandra Witze
Features
22 COUNTERFEIT CRACKDOWN
Scientists have devised sophisticated tools to help crime fighters
spot fake medications, a growing
problem in both the developing
and developed worlds.
By Rachel Ehrenberg
26 INSIDE JOB
The human body is teeming
with microbes that can be their
host’s best friends — or worst
enemies.
By Tina Hesman Saey
Departments
2 FROM THE EDITOR
4 NOTEBOOK
30 BOOKSHELF
31 FEEDBACK
32 FROM THE ARCHIVE
Scientists discovered in the
1970s that chlorofluorocarbons
such as Freon were hurting
Earth’s ozone layer.
