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WHY CRIME DROPPED In “ How New York Beat Crime ,” Franklin E. Zimring refers only incidentally to a decline since 1990 in the “percentage of the population in the most arrest-prone bracket, between 15 and 29,” in both New York and the nation.

By Ed Yong of Nature magazine In the deep ocean off the coast of Costa Rica, scientists have found a species of crab that cultivates gardens of bacteria on its claws, then eats them. The yeti crab--so-called because of the hair-like bristles that cover its arms--is only the second of its family to be discovered. [More]

A new variant of an influenza virus that circulates in pigs has been jumping occasionally into people, providing a surprisingly early opportunity for public health officials to test out some of the lessons learned from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic . [More]

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, astronauts Bowman and Poole conspire to shut down their ship's computer, HAL.

Milan is one of Europe’s most polluted cities.

All NASA spacecraft sent to other planets must undergo meticulous procedures to make sure they don't carry biological contamination from Earth to their destinations .

Diamonds have long been available in pairs--say, mounted in a nice set of earrings. But physicists have now taken that pairing to a new level, linking two diamonds on the quantum level. [More]

As the world negotiates in Durban, climate change continues unabated--and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise [More]

When the world talks climate change --as is currently under way in Durban, South Africa--the main issue is carbon dioxide emissions. CO2 is emanating from the negotiators' mouths and the power plants and cars of their home countries--and that simple molecule is responsible for the bulk of global warming to date. [More]

John de Lancie and Anna Gunn in the world premiere of Alan Alda's "Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie" at the Geffen Playhouse. I grew up watching M*A*S*H reruns with my dad, so even early in life, Alan Alda, who played Dr. Hawkeye Pierce throughout the show’s eleven seasons, was a familiar name and face

Key concepts [More]

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in Volume 205, Number 6 of Scientific American in December 1961. [More]

December 1961 Protein Structure [More]

I moved my eyes, and I realized that I was asleep in bed. When I saw the beautiful landscape start to blur, I thought to myself, “This is my dream; I want it to stay!” And the scene reappeared. Then I thought to myself how nice it would be to gallop through this landscape

Losing weight is not always about anticipating swimsuit season or squeezing into skinny jeans--for the clinically obese , losing weight is about fighting serious illness and reclaiming health. But the primal part of the brain that regulates appetite will not place a moratorium on hunger just because someone and their doctor acknowledge the need to lose weight. Researchers at Syracuse University are working toward a unique solution: a stick of chewing gum that suppresses appetite.