CURRENT ISSUE
July/August 2011
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Features
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Dig, Drink and Be Merry
The driving force behind civilization? It's the quest for intoxication, says archaeologist Patrick McGovern, who analyzes ancient bits of pottery to recreate the earliest known brews
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Dazzling Displays
Out of more than 50,000 photographs submitted, editors – and readers – picked seven showstoppers
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The End of Illusions
Confederates thought they would quickly capture Washington, D.C. President Lincoln wanted the confrontation to be a "short, and a decisive one." The Battle of Bull Run would bury all such expectations
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Crisis in the Caves
Can scientists stop a new disease that is killing bats in catastrophic numbers?
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Cultivating Art
To protect the fruits of their labor and thwart "plant thieves," early American growers enlisted artists
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A Whale to Watch
The true story of a lonely Orca leaps from printed page to silver screen, with a boost from new technology
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Orca Culture
Researchers have found a barite of complex, learned behaviors that differ from pod to pod
Departments
Wild Things: Tarantulas, Jellyfish and More...
Hummingbirds, attacking bears, ancient hominids and other news updates in wildlife research
Seeking the Origins of Amber
Amber is frequently faked; the real thing may have unexpected value
Wernher von Braun's Launch
Although the Nazi "vengeance weapon" was a wartime failure, it ushered in the space age
Leaks and the Law
The prosecution of Thomas Drake highlights the tension between government secrecy and the public's right to know