Discover March 2016

Rethinking Humanity's Roots
by Russ Juskalian
For decades we focused on east Africa as our likely ancestral homeland. But should we be looking to the south?


Are We Born Craving a Balanced Diet?
by Bee Wilson
Children choose healthy foods when left to their own devices, according to a classic experiment. Do those results still hold up?

Averting the Blackout of the Century
by Peter Fairley
An unlikely trio has come up with a surprising new way to predict power failures, but will it be enough to avert the next big one?

    
Sex on the Brain
by Linda Marsa
When it comes to disease, mental illness and the effects of generations of trauma, men and women face different risks. Neuroscientists think it’s all in the wiring.

Mind Over Matter
Get That Song Outta My Head!
by Michele Wojciechowski
If a catchy tune gets stuck in your mind, don’t worry; you’re not just hearing voices.

    
Vital Signs
A Change of Mind
by Eliezer J. Sternberg
How did this 30-something guy go from charismatic to catatonic? A trip down memory lane will get you there.

Amphibious Assault
by Jack El-Hai
In 1952, a plague of frogs struck a small Wisconsin town. Then the tide turned against Lithobates pipiens.


20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Your Back
by Gemma Tarlach
Neanderthals apparently suffered from less lower back pain — and if you’ve got a lot of it, you might have more in common with chimpanzees than your fellow humans.