iD Ideas Discoveries March 2017

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iD (Ideas & Discoveries) (ISSN 2161-2641) Published bi-monthby Heinrich Bauer Publishing Company, L.P. 270 Sylvan Ave. E

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NATURE

8 The Most Dangerous Cyberterrorists in the World

Unmasking the identity of destructive agents

46 The Cave of the Crystal Giants

Inside one of nature’s most fascinating treasure chambers

CURRENT EVENTS

16 WhoNeeds a Fence?

Securing the borders of an entire continent

28 How Many Lives Does This Bottle Cost?

Corporations are depriving people of a fundamental human right

SCIENCE

22 The Flying Virus Laboratory

How fruit bats defy the deadliest pathogens on the planet

27 Smarter in 60 Seconds:Viruses

56 Around My Body Flows 500,000 Volts

What does it take to keep the nation’s energy flowing?

70 The Unbelievable Physics of Ricochets

How rebounding bullets can turn into unpredictable projectiles

HISTORY

36 Decipheringthe Greatest Mysteries of World History

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to history’s mysteries

BODY&MIND

60 What Doctors Don’t Tell Us

A consultation in the interest of full disclosure

SPACE

76 What Exactly Is Pluto?

An unprecedented view of a cosmic recluse

IN EVERY ISSUE

6 A Photo and Its Story

Fascinating pictures and the story behind them

50 Questions & Answers

Marvels that can change our perception of the world

82 What Counts in the End

The Body Language of Owls

To our readers:

Who decides whom to let in and whom to keep out? Whether it’s cracking an ancient

secret code, hacking the systems that control our modern world, seeking sanctuary

in a foreign land, or getting the straight dope from your doctor, someone decides that

some should be privy while others should not. Throughout this issue you’ll find themes

of encryption, transmission, and interception. Fences, codes, secrets—all are meant

to keep out unwanted partakers. But for as long as there have been barriers, there have

been those who are keen to get around them—and where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Cover stories marked in red

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best interest.”

—Benjamin Franklin

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Every day, more and more refugees fl ee their home

nations for safer havens. But high-tech methods may

soon turn those havens into fortresses. PAGE 16

Although it had been demoted in 2006, Pluto is still a

celestial object of fascination. Now we’re fi nally getting

our fi rst good look at the ex-planet. PAGE 76

From ancient Egypt to alien radio transmissions, secret

codes have been shaping the events of history since

time immemorial. PAGE 36

COVER
STORY