When Magma’s On the Move
In California’s Long Valley, the earth trembles every day where a volcano once exploded
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Casting Light on Iranian Deserts
Closely watched by their guides and military escort, harried biologists survey the wild things that survive there
Redefining Robots
At his laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, researcher Mark Tilden creates machines that march to the beat of a different drummer
“You Gotta Remember, Eels Are Weird”
They’re slimy, snaky, ugly and repulsive, but once you acquire a taste for this much-maligned species, “slippery as an eel” becomes a compliment
Last of the Wild Buffalo
Long displayed, long dispersed, the famous Hornaday bison “family” is reunited in a new home
When Permafrost Isn’t
Slowly rising temperatures are melting the frozen ground that underlies most land at high latitudes
Sloth Bears: They Eat Ants, but Take on Tigers
Still used as “dancing bears,” they can hold their own with the big cats but not with human expansion
Making the Chips that Run the World
Making the Chips that Run the World A piece of cake: put 9½ million transistors in a space the size of your thumbnail and allow zero contamination
The Return of the Elk
Monarchs of the mountain West, they once ranged all the way to the Eastern Seaboard. Now they are coming home
When the Earth Froze
The rocks tell us that at least twice, the earth has frozen over from the poles to the equator
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Animal Old Folks
For the National Zoo’s esteemed senior citizens, only the very best in geriatric medical care will do
The “Sea Canary” Sings the Blues
The beluga whales of Canada’s St. Lawrence River have endured a lot over the years, but they’re still around, and still controversial
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“A Good Dog Knows What to Do”
In competition, workaholic Border collies fetch, pen and shed to prove they have the right stuff
NASA Goes Ballistic
The space agency crashed a satellite on the moon in a search for water. It wants to “shoot” a comet.
Will the Kitchen Please Shut Up!
Talking oven mitts, anyone? At the Counter Intelligence Project, research wizards are creating the culinary gizmos of tomorrow
Something Just Bit You?
Was it a scorpion? A spider? A snake? The toxin experts at APDIC can tell you what to do
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Creature Keepers
Conservation and research remain key elements in the National Zoo’s ever-expanding programs
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A Census of the Wild
A government report takes a look at what we have left and where we are heading
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