CURRENT ISSUE
August 2009
Features
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River of Riches
The Cahaba, an unsung Alabama waterway, turns out to be one of the most biologically diverse places in the nation
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Finding Herod's Tomb
Archaeologists and treasure hunters had long scoured a mountain outside Jerusalem for the biblical king's resting place. Ehud Netzer is certain he has found it—mere steps from where he stood decades before
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Mad About Shells
For centuries, scientists, collectors and thieves risked life, limb and fortune to gather the rarest specimens. Now interest is turning to the medical potential of the animals within
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Cool Katz
Octogenarian artist Alex Katz has never been more productive—nor more in demand
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Galileo's Vision
Four hundred years ago, the Italian scientist looked into space and changed our view of the universe. A new exhibit brings one of his telescopes to the U.S. for the first time
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Muscle Man
How the original 97-pound weakling transformed himself into Charles Atlas and brought the physical fitness movement to the masses
Departments
Still Together Now
The muddy couple photographer Burk Uzzle made a symbol of the Age of Aquarius are holding on to that lovin' feeling
Out of the Box
The fiction writer calls Telluride's anti-commercialism—epitomized by a landmark swap stop—worth fighting for
Evolution's Big Bang
A storied trove of fossils from Canada's Burgess Shale is yielding new clues to an explosion of life on earth
Blue Sky Thinking
How an unlikely mix of environmentalists and free-market conservatives hammered out the strategy known as cap-and-trade
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Dog faces, the history of laughter, snakes, and bird warning calls
Cracking the Code
Every form of life has a unique DNA barcode. The trick is finding it