Magazine
March-April 2024
March-April 2024
Volume: 112 Number: 2
The twisted ladder of the double helix has become an iconic symbol for genetics. There is even a DNA emoji. Most of these depictions show the DNA molecule as static and discrete. Yet life is neither static nor discrete. It is soft, fluid, and dynamic. This dynamism is because life exists on a watery planet, and so water interactions flow through the DNA molecule and create fascinating ripple effects, many of which are not yet fully understood. In “Deconstructing DNA Beyond the Helix” science educator and artist Caryn Babaian explores through illustration the molecular details and interactions that can affect DNA’s structure. She contends that for people to fully understand DNA, it must be shown in relationship to water. (Cover image courtesy of Caryn Babaian.)
In This Issue
- Art
- Astronomy
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Communications
- Computer
- Economics
- Engineering
- Environment
- Ethics
- Evolution
- Mathematics
- Medicine
- Physics
- Policy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Technology
When Sharks Eat an Angler’s Haul
David Samuel Shiffman
Biology Environment Policy
Tensions are rising as the ocean’s great predators nab fish on the line, inciting a major new challenge in human–wildlife conflict.
Gas Dynamics of Solar and Stellar Winds
Bhimsen Shivamoggi
Astronomy Mathematics Physics
Eugene Parker’s model has been extended to young star formation processes.
Rumors Have Rules
Emma S. Spiro, Kate Starbird
Anthropology Communications Psychology Sociology
Decades-old research about how and why people share rumors is even more relevant in a world with social media.
