The Elusive Origin of Zero

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July 29, 2022

Mathematics The Elusive Origin of Zero Who decided that nothing should be something? By Shaharir bin Mohamad Zain,Frank Swetz

Neuroscience Unexpected Brain Chemistry Is behind the Element of Surprise  Animals learn especially well from surprising events, and the hormone noradrenaline may be one reason why By S. Hussain Hussain Ather

Particle Physics Physics Particles Fly as Practical Tools Protons, muons, neutrinos and other particles are moving beyond the realm of physics to help in a myriad of ways By James Riordon

Space Exploration Don't Fear China's Falling Rocket--Fear the Future It Foretells Long considered trivial, the effects of rocket launches and reentering space debris on global warming and ozone loss could soon become too large to ignore By Leonard David,Lee Billings

Nutrition Are Skittles Toxic from Titanium Dioxide? A recent lawsuit claims a chemical called titanium dioxide, used in Skittles candies, harms people. It's hard to find strong evidence for that, however By Sam Jones

Particle Physics See the Strange Underground Detector Probing Neutrino Mysteries The LEGEND-200 detector could help explain why matter dominates the known universe By Joanna Thompson

Medicine How Zombies Can Help Prevent the Next Pandemic Incomplete viral genomes can quell disease and, with further research, could be turned into treatments By John Yin

Engineering Scientists Invent a Paper Battery--Just Add Water A new disposable battery is made of paper and other sustainable materials and is activated with a few drops of water By Anna Blaustein

Animals In a First, Tiny Crustaceans Are Found to 'Pollinate' Seaweed like Bees of the Sea Small marine critters ferry around seaweed sex cells, the first recorded example of "pollination" in algae By Jack Tamisiea

Climate Change How the Senate Climate Bill Could Slash Emissions by 40 Percent A surprise breakthrough on climate and energy legislation revives President Biden's environmental commitments by outlining large emissions reductions By Scott Waldman,Benjamin Storrow,E&E News

Archaeology How Humans' Ability to Digest Milk Evolved from Famine and Disease A landmark study is the first major effort to quantify how lactose tolerance developed By Ewen Callaway,Nature magazine

Planetary Science Seismic Missions Could Reveal the Solar System's Underworlds Seismology has been a long-overlooked tool in planetary exploration, but the success of NASA's InSight lander has reignited the field By Jonathan O'Callaghan

FROM THE STORE The Age of Humans Humans have accomplished a great deal in our relatively short history - and have left our mark on Earth in the process. In this eBook, we examine the story of us: how we got here, the world we've built and how we'll need to continue to adapt if we are to manage our impact on the planet and build a better future. *Editor's Note: This Collector's Edition was published as The Age of Humans. The eBook adaptation contains all of the articles, but some of the artwork has been removed to optimize viewing on tablet devices.

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