iD Ideas Discoveries March 2017

contents

The biggest threat to airline passengers’ safety isn’t

always inside a plane—it’s what may be lurking outside.

But a very special employee is on the job. PAGE 6

After the hackers from the story on page 8 have wreaked

havoc on the electrical grid, someone will have to go

out there and repair those lines... PAGE 56

Their bodies are literally teeming with viruses, yet these

winged mammals don’t get sick. Could the key to better

health lie in the genes of fruit bats? PAGE 22

The real identity of the best hackers in the world may

shock you. You might even say their work is effortless,

because it comes so naturally... PAGE 8

A ricocheting bullet can be even more dangerous than

the initial shot: 10 fascinating facts about the physics

of defl ected projectiles. PAGE 70

Nowhere is the gulf between the haves and have-nots

more evident than in the quest for potable water. There

is only so much of it on Earth... PAGE 28

COVERSTORY

COVERSTORY COVERSTORY

Mar 2017 4 ideasanddiscoveries.com