Scientific American - USA (2019-10)

2 Scientific American, October 2019

OctOber 2019

VOLUME 321, NUMBER 4

Photograph by Spencer Lowell

ON tHe cOVer

Tupandactylus imperator, a pterosaur, patrolled

the skies during the Cretaceous period. Like a

number of other pterosaurs from this time, it had

extreme anatomical features, including a gigan-

tic head and neck compared with the rest of its

body. Researchers have finally begun to under­

stand how these bizarre creatures could fly.

Illustration by chase Stone.

46

EVOLUTION
26 Monsters of
the Mesozoic Skies
Fossils and mathematical
modeling are helping to answer
long-standing questions about
pterosaurs. By Michael B. Habib
NEUROSCIENCE
34 Is Death Reversible?
An experiment that partially
revived slaughterhouse
pig brains raises questions about
the precise end point of life.
By Christof Koch
NUTRITION
38 Obesity on the Brain
The cause of the obesity epidemic
may not be any single class of
nutrient. “Ultraprocessed”
foods may fool our brains into
overeating. By Ellen Ruppel Shell
PHYSICS
46 The Stuff of Dreams
Could new theoretical and
computational advances finally

deliver the elusive room-

temperature superconductor?

By Bob Henderson

AGRICULTURE

54 Restoring Rice

Biodiversity

Long-forgotten varieties of the

staple crop can survive flood,

drought and other calamities.

The challenge is bringing

them back. By Debal Deb

STATISTICS

62 A Significant Problem

Standard scientific methods are

under fire. Will anything change?

By Lydia Denworth

EDUCATION

68 Smart Start

Kids in preschools that encourage

them to play with language and

focus their attention do better

in school and later life.

By Lisa Guernsey