CURRENT ISSUE
January 2013
Features
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Born to Be Mild
Are we born knowing right from wrong? New research offers surprising answers to the age-old question of where morality comes from
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Rio Revolution
Brazil's bold attempt to transform everyday life inside Rio's notoriously violent slums
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The Frog that Roared
The world’s most charismatic amphibian is upending the conventional wisdom about evolution with a surprising new way to think about genes and the origins of change
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Forever Free
150 years ago, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation decreed an end to slavery in Confederate-held territory
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Viva Moulin Rouge!
Although it lasted just a few magical months, America’s first interracial casino helped end segregation on the Strip and proved that the only color that mattered was green
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Tunnel Vision
An underground scientist is pioneering a new way to learn what the climate was like thousands of years ago
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The Spy Who Came In From the Cold 2.0
How one digital pioneer turned against the very culture he helped create
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Land of the Rising Son
A visit to what some claim is Jesus’ final resting place…in Japan
Departments
From the Castle
Coral reefs and radio telescopes make a trip to the tropics more than worthwhile
Time
This month the theme is time, from how our brains perceive it to a new term for our current geological epoch
Test of Time
What are the oldest living things on Earth?
Books
Jared Diamond compares the West with the rest. Plus: thriving in chaos, hot travel and a history of mapmaking
Will We Be Able to Prevent an Asteroid Strike and More Questions From Our Readers
Your questions answered by our experts
Fast Forward
In Chile’s Atacama Desert, astronomers are preparing for a new array that will stretch across 10 miles