"Discover the groundbreaking field of optogenetics, a biological technique that uses light to control cells in living tissue. Optogenetics helps researchers understand biochemical processes in live organisms and may someday be used to treat blindness, neural disorders, and other diseases."--

A small plane crashes into a cornfield and bursts into flames. The three men aboard and their pilot are killed in the inferno. The bodies are burned beyond recognition. Can they be identified? A park ranger uncovers a human torso along a walking path in a nature preserve. The next day, a sanitation worker spots two human legs jutting out of a dumpster. That same afternoon, a man finds the severed head of a young woman along the side of the road. Are...

Space probes, self-assembling robots, crash-absorbing cars, and designer proteins all have one thing in common: their use of folding technologies. To develop these technologies, engineers are taking inspiration from an unusual source-origami, the ancient art of paper folding. Examine origami's origins, how it intersects with mathematics, and how it became a tool to solve some of the most complicated challenges in engineering, architecture, technology,...

Meet the science experts who study specimens of extreme longevity in both the plant and animal kingdoms, such as the 80,000-year-old root system of Pando (a colony of male quaking aspens), 11,000-year-old deep-sea sponges, and 400-year-old sharks. Learn about technologies used to determine age and longevity, including DNA sampling, growth rings, and radiocarbon dating. See how scientists located these long-lived species were and why and how they resist...