March 2019
Issue 31: Sidekicks
While heroes are quick to soak up all the attention with parades and accolades, those on the periphery can easily go unnoticed. This issue we give a shout-out to the sidekicks — humble and unassuming, but important nonetheless.
Let’s give long overdue applause to the supportive role of antidepressants, to a chemist whose mates always outshone him, to the writing system tying together two ancient languages, and to the sidelined schizophrenia symptoms finally emerging into the spotlight.
Go, go, sidekicks!
Cover illustration by Simona Seizova
Editorial
Features
Known more as a musician than a scientist, Alexander Borodin was a friend and colleague to many famous scientists of the nineteenth century. Sometimes those just outside the limelight have their own stories to tell.
The otherwise unrelated ancient languages of Sumerian and Akkadian share a writing system. This led to cultural mixing and exchange that make their relationship hard to define.
Even today, schizophrenia is most often defined by its psychotic symptoms. Have we been getting it wrong all this time?
Humans are social creatures, attuned to seeking supportive relationships with other people. But with antidepressants, we have a different kind of significant other.
Articles
Premature babies are doing better than ever before, but survival comes with hidden costs.
What can we gain by collecting the genomes of every animal, plant, fungi and protozoa species on the planet?
For international students, the path to a research career is fraught with issues of isolation and belonging.
A small island off New Zealand, renowned for its birdlife, stays pristine thanks to the bruising efforts of a small band of weed-spotters.
columns
It takes a special sort of researcher to sit perfectly still while a hungry insect sucks blood from your leg.
Losing any species is tragic and shameful, but too often we’re not watching closely enough to see the full story.