CONTENTS
CHARTED08 If history’s an ocean,
humanity is a raindrop10 What our eyes teach
us about evolution12 Copper: from prehistoric
weapon to electric circuit14 National fare that
originated elsewhere16 Yesterday’s garbage?
Today’s artifactsBIG QS18 Can old art advance
modern science?20 How do animals fi nd
their way back home?20 The big bang, without
making your head explode20 What caused Alaska’s
tuberculosis outbreak22 Should we engineer
a perfect child?24 Secrets of the world’s
most enduring cities24 Where the idyllic front
yard fi rst put down roots26 The reason we’re so
attached to the pastGOODS28 An analog reboot of
the fi rst video game30 Where the world’s
priciest coffee comes from32 Scribble and doodle
the old-fashioned way34 Camera tech that’s
endured since the ’70s36 Essentials you need
to cook it old-school38 Ideal raw materials
for your next project40 The century-long
journey of electric cars42 Basketball’s most
popular kicks, then and nowTALES FROM THE FIELD103 Everyone sleeps.
No one knows why104 Signs a baseball card
is an original—or a fake104 Sorry, 10,000 steps is a
decades-old lie106 The funky genesis
of human anatomy108 Popping the top on
beer’s 13,000-year-old buzz108 When we moved to
caves, bugs were waiting110 The fi rst light in the
universe, recorded111 Why so few people
are left-handedHEAD TRIP113 From Aristotle to Escher,
the canonical illusionsBEHIND THE COVER126 This edition’s cover, in
its earliest formPOPSCI.COM/ SPRING 2020^346 What ancient teeth
could reveal about the
modern microbiome54 Will crushing old dams
give America’s rivers a
much-needed fresh start?62 Meet the amateur
cartographers bringinguse to decide what
dinosaurs looked likethat were absolutely
perfect from the startagriculture can help solvehistory along 143 miles
of railroad track94 The quest to unravel
the co- domestication of
people and dogsBE
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COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY THE VOORHES