98 DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
FROM BOTTOM: TIMOTHY O’CONNOR/UCSD JACOBS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING; CHRISTOPHER KIARIE AND ISAIAH NENGO; BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY; YUZHEN YAN/PRINCETON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES; GABRIEL LÍO; NSF/LIGO/A. SIMONNET/SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITYArchaeology/Paleontology/Anthropology
#2 Refining the origin story of our ancestors ................................ 10
#8 Fossilized footprints could change hominin tale ....................... 19
#12 Collagen identified in 195 million-year-old fossil........................ 23
#16 Rewriting dinosaurs’ family tree ............................................ 26
#26 Ancient human DNA extracted from dirt ................................. 34
#27 Well-preserved dino fossil turns heads .................................... 36
#37 Full genomes of Egyptian mummies recovered ......................... 44
#40 100 million-year-old dinosaur could be largest ever .................. 46
#41 Skull could be common ancestor of all living apes .................... 48
#52 Tick carries oldest blood ever found ....................................... 57
#57 H. naledi, contemporary of archaic H. sapiens .......................... 61
#67 Aztec skull towers show evidence of mass human sacrifices ...... 68
#70 Microfossils push back timeline of life’s emergence .................. 71
#71 The rise and global dispersal of domesticated cats.................... 72
#73 Staggered sleep patterns helped keep early humans alive .......... 73
#74 Icelandic Viking discovery best in a century ............................. 74
#81 Ancient Roman neighborhood unearthed ................................ 80
#90 540 million-year-old animal fossil .......................................... 85
#99 Scientists model the first flower ............................................ 91
Earth/Environment/Energy
#10 Two colors added to rainfall chart after Texas storm .................. 21
#18 Slow but steady sea rise predicted ......................................... 27
#21 Antarctic ice shelf calves massive berg ................................... 30
#22 Scores of volcanoes discovered under Antarctic ice ................... 31
#33 Oldest ice discovered in polar region ...................................... 40
#46 Deadly heat in forecast for Earth’s tropics ............................... 52
#54 Tests reveal future marine impact of oceanic warming .............. 58
#59 Species of trees spread westward .......................................... 63
#64 Billions of tons of plastics discarded on Earth .......................... 66
#65 Mystery of Earth’s molten pockets revealed ............................. 67
#76 Seafloor map created from Malaysian airline search ................. 75
#85 Mapping Earth’s biggest volcanic eruptions ............................. 82
#96 Humans create over 200 minerals .......................................... 89
Living World
#31 Octopuses self-edit their RNA for survival advantage ................ 38
#44 New species show abilities for staying out of sight ................... 50
#82 Jellyfish do sleep ................................................................. 81
#84 Naked mole rats survive with no oxygen for extended periods .... 82
#95 A trillion reasons to praise the human nose ............................. 88
#98 Birds’ egg shapes suggest flight ability ................................... 91
Math/Physical Sciences
#17 The math behind gerrymandering .......................................... 27
#20 Tabletop device detects neutrinos .......................................... 28
#30 Physicists identify new particle .............................................. 37
#34 2-D magnet made from single layer of carbon atoms ................ 41
#38 Hottest liquid is also the fastest spinning ................................ 45
#56 Math proof offers way to map an object’s interior .................... 60
#63 A building block of matter loses a little weight ........................ 65
#75 Time crystals: A new kind of matter to explore ......................... 74
#93 Water can exist in two liquid states at once ............................. 87
#100 Closing the book on irregular pentagons ................................ 92
Medicine/Genetics
#5 Gene editing tool modifies human embryos in U.S. ................... 16
#6 FDA approves immunotherapy for resistant cancer ................... 17#13 Artificial placentas grow healthy lamb fetuses ......................... 24
#14 Era of superbugs arrives ....................................................... 24
#19 CRISPR knocks out retroviral DNA in pigs................................ 28
#25 Storing data in living bacteria ............................................... 33
#28 Global sperm counts drop precipitously .................................. 36
#35 A step closer to artificial blood .............................................. 41
#36 Mice with printed ovaries birth healthy young ......................... 42
#39 Probiotics treatment fights infection in newborns ..................... 45
#43 Genetic factors for insomnia identified ................................... 49
#50 Multiple sclerosis drug takes novel approach ........................... 55
#51 Finding genes that cancer exploits ......................................... 56
#68 Cellular map of humans in the making ................................... 70
#72 Postmortems show brain disease in most NFL players ............... 73
#83 Human fetuses are drawn to face shapes ................................ 81
#86 Zika fights brain tumors ....................................................... 83
#94 Is house dust making you fat?............................................... 88
Neuroscience/Behavior
#24 Stem cells in brain region orchestrate aging ............................ 33
#42 Genetic risk for PTSD ........................................................... 49
#48 Neurons respond to specific features to recognize faces ............ 54
#53 Long-term memories can form in one day ............................... 57
#61 Model predicts which infants will develop autism .................... 64
#66 Blocking pain before it hits a nerve ........................................ 67
#79 Noninvasive brain electrode stimulation ................................. 79
#87 Culture matters in famous marshmallow test........................... 83
Policy
#4 Science takes hit under Trump administration .......................... 14
#29 Treating PTSD with help from psychedelic drug ........................ 37
#45 Goldwater Rule revisited during Trump’s presidency .................. 52
#60 A flu drug falls out of favor ................................................... 63
Space/Cosmology
#3 Gravitational wave is relic of ancient star collision.................... 13
#7 Earth-sized worlds orbit star in nearby galaxy .......................... 18
#9 Space probe’s 13-year study of Saturn ends ............................. 20
#11 A Saturn moon could theoretically support life ......................... 22
#15 Radio bursts coming from distant galaxy ................................ 25
#23 NASA probe reveals Jupiter’s mysteries .................................. 32
#32 Space sperm produces healthy mice ....................................... 39
#47 Asteroid travels wrong way in Jupiter’s orbit ........................... 53
#49 Astronomers weigh distant star ............................................. 55
#58 Space dust falls like rain on Earth .......................................... 62
#62 The cold truth about Martian precipitation .............................. 65
#69 Galactic surprise: Cygnus A home to second black hole ............. 70
#78 Probing the sun’s spinning inner core ..................................... 78
#92 Moon’s magnetic life gets an extension .................................. 87
Tech/Entertainment/Culture
#1 Solar eclipse captures America’s attention ................................. 7
#55 Snail slime inspires synthetic adhesive .................................... 60
#77 Moon’s Mount Marilyn becomes official ................................. 76
#80 Creating 3-D models of fossils on the cheap ............................ 79
#88 Smart glove translates sign language to screen ........................ 84
#89 Material harvests water using sunlight ................................... 84
#91 Making music with only the brain .......................................... 86
#97 Vine-inspired robot snakes into tight places ............................ 90DISCOVER (ISSN 0274-7529, USPS# 555-190) is published monthly, except for combined issues in January/February and July/August. 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Periodical postage paid at Waukesha, WI, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addrVol. 39, no. 1. Published by Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box ess changes to DISCOVER, P.O. Box 62320, Tampa, FL 33662-2320. Canada Publication
Agreement # 40010760. Back issues available. All rights reserved. Nothing herein contained may be reproduced without written pe53187-1612. Printed in the U.S.A. rmission of Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WIp.13p. 26p. 40p.45p.84p.48INDEX