Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Muse Contents — Back Issues

Contents of Back Issues.

VOLUME 1 — 1997
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


Number 1 — January 1997

COVER: Good Ideas – Where do they come from?

FIRST PAGE: Good Ideas

The Ancient Muses. The New Muses.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Animal Mummies, by Kathie R. Kerler Bastian
* Radio Nights, by Paul Fleischman
* Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, by Emma Curzon and Fritz Wegner
* Life from Mars, by Ray Jayawardhana
* Rediscovery of Ancient Egypt, by Elizabeth Payne
* The Rosetta Stone
* Champollion, by Normandi Ellis
* “America’s Smithsonian” traveling exhibition.
* Muse News
* Muse Reviews
* Muse on the Mall: Dr. Doug Ubelaker, forensic anthropologist.


Number 2 — March 1997

COVER: “Please Don’t Eat Me” [vegetarianism]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli cooks dinner for Feather; first mention of Feather’s fondness for doughnuts.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Comets, by Ray Jayawardhana
* Jiggling Atoms, by Richard Feynman
* Kid Collectors, by Jan Adkins
* Vegetarianism, by Judy Krizmanic
* Diego Rivera’s mural “Piñata”
* Information Supermarket, by Pidgeon O’Brien and Jane Caminos [spread of the Internet]
* Muse Reviews
* Veggie Links, comet links, sausage links

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece, by Jan Adkins: Model airplanes

POINTS OF INTEREST: On page 10, Mimi interprets for Aeiou. On page 39, Aeiou talks.


Number 3 — May 1997

COVER: Predicting the Future

KOKOPELLI & CO.: Chad invents a fortune-telling machine.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Spider vs. Moth, Battle of the Eons
* Unuseless Inventions
* Predicting the Future
* George de la Tour’s painting “The Fortune Teller”
* Search for the Lost City of Ubar
* Inventing the Bicycle
* Muse Reviews: Roald Dahl movies

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece: The world’s worst pet, Komodo dragons


Number 4 — August 1997

COVER: What’s the Big Deal About Art?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania and Pwt try to turn each other into works of art.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Clones, Clones, Clones [Dolly, Sheep of the Future], by Elizabeth Pennisi
* The Languages of Art, by John Grandits
* The Mall [in Washington, D.C.]
* History’s Mysteries: Interview with John Brinkman
* Mars Pathfinder, by Ray Jayawardhana
* Esperanto, by Robert Coontz

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece, by Jan Adkins: How Matthew Brady photographed Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad


Number 5 — October 1997

FIRST PAGE: Alien Life?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli gives Feather an alien doughnut.

MUSE MAIL: a reader gets steamed about Noam Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Life in the Universe, by Ray Jayawardhana
* Inside the National Museum of American History, by Jan Adkins
* Gems, by Robert Coontz
* My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell
* Chameleons, by James Martin
* Mixing Paints, by Richard Feynman

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece, by Jan Adkins: A Tale of Two Georges

POINTS OF INTEREST: Koko proposes to Urania in the margin of “Gems.” She almost accepts, but things go sour.


Number 6 — December 1997

COVER: Why Sleep?

FIRST PAGE: Zzzzzzzz…

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Crraw turns out to be Pwt’s worst nightmare.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Naked Mole-Rats, by David S. Kessler
* “Experiment with an Air Pump” [painting by Joseph Wright]
* Sleep, by Patricia Daniels
* Star Wars: It’s Just Another Myth, by Mary Henderson
* Muse Update: Sojourner Mars probe
* Muse Reviews: TV series, movie, and books by Carl Sagan

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece, by Jan Adkins: baby giraffe at National Zoo


VOLUME 2 — 1998
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6


Number 1 — February 1998

COVER: Fixing Nature?

FIRST PAGE: Muse Interview
Bo explains how to save the planet, between mouthfuls

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather grows doughnut trees.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Leaves Are Such a Drag, by Mike May
* Climbing the Tower, by Jan Adkins
* Fixing Nature? by Marguerite Holloway
* Jaques-Henri Lartique: Photographer at Play, by John Cech
* Anesthesia, by Julie M. Fenster
* Meet Our Muses; Muse Reviews;

LAST PAGE: Museum Piece, by Ray Jayawardhana: Mount Hopkins Observatory, Arizona

POINTS OF INTEREST: On page 4 a reader refers to Pwt as “she,” launching a historic debate. (Feather and Mimi think Pwt is a boy, but Urania says Pwt is a girl.)


Number 2 — April 1998

COVER: Can Machines Learn to Think?

FIRST PAGE: The Muse Interview: The Milk Mystic

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Aeiou’s computer helps her talk but doesn’t know when to shut up.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Making Intelligent Machines, by Mike May
* Turing’s Test, by Brian Hayes
* The Mystery of the Cottingley Fairies, by Tom Huntington
* Touchdown in Peekskill, by Steve Mirsky [meteorite crash in New York
* Gold, by Jan Adkins
* The Mystery of the Damascus Sword, by John Verhoeven and Alfred Pendray
* Muse Reviews: Elephant Woman: Cynthia Moss Explores the World of Elephants, by Laurence Pringle; The Most Beautiful Roof in the World: Exploring the Rainforest Canopy, by Kathryn Lasky

LAST PAGE: Tiger, Tiger


Number 3 — June 1998

FIRST PAGE: Where Did the Moon Come From? [Odin, Kawachi, Kurami, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other notables weigh in]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad helps Bo jump over the moon.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Origin of the Moon, by Ray Jayawardhana
* The Day the Gulls Went Crazy, by Susan E. Quinlan
* Faces, by Jan Adkins
* The Heidelberg Project, by John Grandits
* Discovering Insulin, by Julie E. Fenster
* Muse Reviews: Three books by Edward Tufte

LAST PAGE: Night Light [light pollution], by Agnieszka Biskup


Number 4 — August 1998

COVER: “The Sky Is Falling!” Chicken Little Was Right. [Extinction of dinosaurs]

FIRST PAGE: Why Aren’t the Dinosaurs Alive Today?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko realizes how much he needs his friends.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Finding the Crater of Doom, by Steve Mirsky
* The End of a World, by Walter Alvarez
* Where, Oh Where, Has My Albatross Gone, by Mike May
* Spanning Niagara, by Patricia Daniels
* Clean Cats Cut Coughs, by Steve Mirsky
* Rubber, by Robert Friedel
* Thylacine, by Jan Adkins
* Muse Reviews: Art books by sculptor Andy Goldsworthy

LAST PAGE: Not Just Your Ordinary Textbook, by Agnieszka Biskup


Number 5 — October 1998

FIRST PAGE: After El Niño

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli makes it rain pies and trucks.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* El Niño, by Fred Pearce
* A Disturbance in the Field, by David L. Wheeler [fourth-grade researcher
* debunks “therapeutic touch”]
* The Woman Who Loves Bones, by Marguerite Holloway [Elizabeth Pillaert, osteologist]
* Charles Darwin and the Galápagos Islands
* The Rhinoceros Graveyard, by Terry Devitt
* Lucy, by Donald Johanson
* Crash! by David L. Wheeler [roadside guardrails]

LAST PAGE: BEMs and SEMs [bug-eyed monsters and scanning electron microscopes]


Number 6 — December 1998

COVER: Do Animals Think?

FIRST PAGE: The Muse Interview: Bo, Crraw, and Feather

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt catches Crraw, with the help of a helium balloon

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Animal Mind, by James L. Gould and Carol Grant Gould
* The Think Tank, by Patricia Daniels
* Following a Star, by Steve Kawaler
* Language Barrier [computer translation]
* Who Blew Up the Maine? by Tom Miller
* Learning to Disobey, by Margery Facklam [training guide dogs and monkeys]
* Singing Salmon Take the Stage, by David Simpson

LAST PAGE: Are You a Man or a Mesa? [the Martian face, de-faced]


VOLUME 3 — 1999
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

[Muse starts to publish 10 issues a year]


Number 1 — January 1999

COVER: Endangered Animals: How are zoos trying to save them?

FIRST PAGE: Endangered Animals [list, from the southern acornshell to the mountain zebra]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad builds extinction-proof animal robots.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Captive Breeding, by Robin Meadows
* Wildlife Mis-Management [humor], by Serena Lacegun and Bob Byrd
* The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home, by George Ancona
* I Was a Teenaged Eclipse-Chaser, by Trudy E. Bell
* Painting by Numbers [a computer that makes art], by Harold Cohen
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Chasing Arrows [Möbius strips]

LAST PAGE: Oasis for the Eyes [Fly Geyser, Nevada]

POINTS OF INTEREST: First “Math Page” column


Number 2 — February 1999

COVER: Where Does Your Trash Go?

FIRST PAGE: Talking Trash

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli’s littering gets on Mimi’s nerves.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Garbage, by Brian Hayes
* Killer Flu, by Julie Fenster
* Thin Rhinos, Fat Hippos [animal weight control at the National Zoo], by Jan Adkins
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Square Wheel, Round Hole
* Chief Big White, by Rhoda Blumberg [Lewis and Clark]
* Sea Hares, by Kim McDonald
* The Mystery of the Missing Painting

LAST PAGE: Trashformation


Number 3 — March 1999

COVER: Dinosaurs: How’d They Get So Big?

FIRST PAGE: No Dino I Know

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli meets an insulting sauropod dinosaur.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Big Dinos, by Robert Coontz
* The Great Dinosaur Feud, by Tom Huntington [Cope vs. Marsh]
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Knot Magic Not Magic
* The Woman Who Clicks with the Fishes, by Mary Roach
* Little Dancer, by A. Clarke Bedford

LAST PAGE: Felice Frankel’s Fabulous Ferrofluid Fotograph


Number 4 — April 1999

COVER: Rare Breeds

FIRST PAGE: The All-in-One Farmer’s Friend

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chocolate-eating grasshoppers ravage Feather’s doughnut trees.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Vanishing Farm Animals, by Janet Raloff
* Saving America’s Rare Breeds, by Catherine Paladino
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Lizard Game
* The Magic of Masks, by Mary Amato
* Poogweese, by Chief Lelooska
* Robin Hood: The Making of a Legend, by Jeffrey Singman

LAST PAGE: A Drop of Water, by Walter Wick


Number 5 — May/June 1999

COVER: Learn the Secrets of the Maze / Learn the Secrets of the Toilet

FIRST PAGE: A Reader’s Guide to Muse

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania needs a toilet, fast.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Toilet, by Margaret Mahy
* The Sultan of Slime, by Mary Roach
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Fair Shares
* Island Plants, by Robin Meadows
* The Secrets of the Maze, by Adrian Fisher and Howard Loxton
* Theseus and the Minotaur, by Edith Hamilton

LAST PAGE: Toilets of the World


Number 6 — July/August 1999

COVER: Meteorite Hunting in Antarctica / Finding a Baby Solar System

FIRST PAGE: The Amazingly Not-So-True But Extraordinarily Cool Story of the Origin of the Solar System

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Mimi is afraid of getting hit by a meteorite.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Meteorites, by Mary Roach
* Caught in the Act, by Ray Jayawardhana
* Scritch, Swoosh, Foom, Boom, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley [how fireworks are made]
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Covering Up
* Lawn Crazy, by Virginia Jenkins
* Death and the Miser, by Hieronymus Bosch

LAST PAGE: Take a Closer Look… [fool-the-eye soda fountain]


Number 7 — September 1999

COVER: Under the Black Flag [pirates]

FIRST PAGE: Modern Pirates

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko turns pirate.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Under the Black Flag, adapted from the book by David Cordingly
* The Ravens, by Richard Wolkomir
* Bad Boy Makes Good…um…Dino Hunter, by Mary Roach [paleontologist Paul Sereno]
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Food Counts [colors of M&Ms]
* Flying Snakes, by Sharon Parmet

LAST PAGE: The Phantom of the Forest, by Walter Wick

POINTS OF INTEREST: In September and November 1999 and January and March 2000, Muse ran installments of “Fast Lane,” an anti-drug Spider-Man advertising supplement created by Marvel Comics and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.


Number 8 — October 1999

COVER: The Terrifying Truth about Urban Legends

FIRST PAGE: Create your own fill-in-the-blank urban legend

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli’s urban legend scares Feather out of a slice of watermelon.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Too Good to Be True, by Jan Harold Brunvand
* The Young Witch Hunters, by Rhoda Blumberg [Salem witch trials]
* Playing with Your Food, by Aline McKenzie
* High Society Spiders, by Cynthia Mills
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: How to Lace Like an Ace
* Tarantulas: Up Close and Personal
* Plant Traps, by Mary Losure
* Robo-baby, by Robert Adler

LAST PAGE: From the Land of Dairy Queen… Not! [Zebra Canyon, Utah]


Number 9 — November 1999

COVER: Is This the Coolest Bug in the World?

FIRST PAGE: Bitten by the Bug, by Michael H. Robinson [the Director of the National Zoo describes his fascination with insects — and eats a broiled spider]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt chases Crraw into the rain forest and meets a Thunder-Pigeon.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Variety of Life, by Virginia Morell [counting insects in the rain forests of Ecuador]
* The Most Wonderful Bugs in the World?
* The Case of the Mummified Pigs, by Susan Quinlan [studying how dead animals decay]
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Nature’s Numbers [the Fibonacci sequence]
* Star Wars: Science Fact, Science Fiction, by Philip Plait
* Leonid Showers, by Trudie E. Bell [meteors]
* Bloodhound, by Aline McKenzie [artificial dog for studying fleas]
* Q & A: Flying cars, collecting bacterial samples (don’t), solar and lunar eclipses, and why cloned cows don’t look exactly alike

LAST PAGE: None; instead, second installment of “Fast Lane” Spider-Man comic.

POINTS OF INTEREST: First Q & A column; “Fast Lane: Feel the Rush”


Number 10 — December 1999

COVER: The End of the World

FIRST PAGE: Muse’s Tips for a Hassle-Free Endtime

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt thinks the end of the world sounds like fun.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The End of the World as We Know It, by Robert Coontz
* Aquavet, by Andrew McBee
* Tickle Theory, by Rosalind Reid
* The Worst Journey in the World, by Doug McInnis
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Glitter Trap
* The Big Fridge, by Peter and Elaine Faletra
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Why space is dark, and the Year Zero

LAST PAGE: Snowflakes That Will Never Melt [fractals]


VOLUME 4 — 2000
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10


Number 1 — January 2000

COVER: Tomorrowlands That Never Made It / Future Pets That Might

FIRST PAGE: The Pet of Tomorrow

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania stumbles over Chad’s invisible inventions.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Tomorrowlands That Never Made It
* Hunting Neutrinos at Super-K, by Kate Scholberg
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Nice Guys Finish First (Sometimes)
* Muse’s 200th Anniversary Spectacular!
* Maps, by Yvette La Pierre
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: How are popcorn kernels made? Is fire a solid, liquid, or gas?

LAST PAGE: Monkey Trouble

POINTS OF INTEREST: Third installment of “Fast Lane” Spider-Man comic.


Number 2 — February 2000

COVER: The Quest for the Giant Squid

FIRST PAGE: The Quest for the Jumbo Shrimp

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt meets squid.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Quest for the Giant Squid, by Clyde F. E. Roper
* The Mystery of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Hershel Shanks
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Juggling by Number
* Cutters, Carvers, and the Cathedral, by George Ancona
* The Eagle People, by Stephen Bodio
* What’s the Buzz? by Bob Adler
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Why there are 26 letters in the alphabet; also cats, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, sleep, and Monty Python

LAST PAGE: Making Tracks [self-propelled boulders in Death Valley]


Number 3 — March 2000

COVER: High-Five a Cave Man! / Swimming into the Ice Age / The Unknown Discoverers of Cosquer Cave

FIRST PAGE: The Unknown Discoverers of Cosquer Cave

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The muses go caving.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Swimming into the Ice Age, by Dave Getz
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Mirror, Mirror
* Telling Stories with Molas, by Maricel E. Presilla
* Penicillin, by Stuart B. Levy
* Super Potatoes, by Doug McInnis
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Can llamas and alpacas interbreed, exploding meat, why light is both wave and particle

LAST PAGE: None. Final installment of Spider-Man comic.

POINTS OF INTEREST: Guest appearance in Q & A by string theorist Ed Witten.


Number 4 — April 2000

COVER: Ancient Mummy Found ALIVE! / Ancient Mummies Still Dead! / Ancient Tomb Rediscovered!

FIRST PAGE: Ancient Mummy Found Alive!

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt collects items needed for a happy afterlife.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Golden Mummies, by John Noble Wilford
* “Orbiter” Flunks Math Test, by Peter Banks
* Talking to Faith Ringgold, by Faith Ringgold, Linda Freeman, and Nancy Roucher
* Fire Underground, by Gail Skroback Hennessey
* Slow Burn, by Renée Jacobs
* Triceratops on the Move, by Patricia Daniels
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Corn snakes, dinosaurs, eyelashes, and which kinds of light work best for growing plants.
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Four Colors, Four Faces

LAST PAGE: Unreal Reality [artist Sandy Skoglund]

POINTS OF INTEREST: Table of Contents page redesigned to divide items into “New Stuff” and Regular Stuff”; on letters page; child-protection policy goes into effect, last initials instead of last names


Number 5 — May/June 2000

COVER: How Do You Handle a Five-Ton Elephant?

FIRST PAGE: Muse Elephant Survey

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses encounter a rampaging elephant

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* An Elephant-Sized Job, by Steve Miller
* The World Series of Birding, by Susan Milius
* What to Read While You’re Waiting for the Next Harry Potter
* Vikings in America, by Elisabeth Ward
* Solving the Mystery of a Plane Crash, by Peter Banks
* How to Steer a Plane, by Ken Blackburn and Jeff Lammers
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: How much does a head weigh, goldfish gender
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Weird Dice

LAST PAGE: Egg Art


Number 6 — July/August 2000

COVER: All About Roller Coasters / Our Picks for the Worst Rides Ever

FIRST PAGE: Bad Rides

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad builds the scariest roller coaster in the world

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Scream Machines, by Peter Banks
* Computer Catastrophe, by Steve Mirsky
* The Mystery Spot, by Robin Meadows
* Hip Hip for Zips, by Nancy Kangas
* Custard’s Last Stand, by John Allen
* Monster Watching: A Field Guide to the (Really Big) Flora and Fauna of America’s Roadsides, by Steve Mirsky
* Do Pumped-Up Toys Make Pumped-Up Boys? by Aline McKenzie
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tricky Tables
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Are dogs and cats really carnivores, and what’s earwax for?

LAST PAGE: Art on the Rocks [Petroglyphs in the Sahara]

POINTS OF INTEREST: KOKOPELLI & COMPANY reveals the Muses’ greatest fears


Number 7 — September 2000

COVER: Finally, There’s Proof! The New Loch Ness Monster Photo / Read All About It / Read All About Hoaxes

FIRST PAGE: The Muse behind the Loch Ness Monster

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli promises Feather doughnuts from space

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Tricky Science, by Steve Miller
* The Man No One Believed, by Charles Flowers [Joseph Goldberger and pellagra]
* How to Sing Duets Alone, by Pam Nevar [Tuvan throat-singers]
* Matching Wits with the Hyrax, by Truman P. Young
* Nine Ways to Look at a Comet, by Jay M. Pasachoff and Roberta J. M. Olson
* Waterphone, by Rocky Maffit
* Burning Rubber, by Peter Banks
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tesseracts
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: What if Napoleon had had a B-52 at Waterloo

LAST PAGE: Smash! [Trompe l’oeil art]


Number 8 — October 2000

COVER: Beads African Style

FIRST PAGE: Beads American Style

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad makes an African beaded crown

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Beads: Body and Soul, by Henry John Drewal
* Synthetic People, by Joann Mazzio
* Unnecessary Things, by Steve Mirsky
* Exploring the Cave of the Sulfur Eaters, by David Getz
* The Daily Crossword, by William J. Cannon
* Bouncing Horses, by Robert Adler
* The Funeral Banquet of King Midas, by John Fleischman
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Is smoke flammable, and do fish drink water?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Views from Flatland

LAST PAGE: Plant or Animal?


Number 9 — November 2000

COVER: Cracking the Maya Code

FIRST PAGE: The Cat of the Century

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko tries to sacrifice a book

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* A Message in a Cave, by Michael D. Coe and Justin Kerr
* Destroyer and Preserver, by Carolyn Meyer and Charles Gallenkamp [Maya codex]
* If People Wrote It, People Can Read it, by Michael D. Coe
* The Great American Art Heist, by Robert Byrd
* Close Encounters of the Bear Kind, by Susan Quinlan
* Dorothea Lange: Compassionate Photographer, by Elizabeth Partridge
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Morphing Art
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Do planets line up, are cats right- and left-pawed?

LAST PAGE: The Case of the Face on the Vase


Number 10 — December 2000

COVER: Who Killed Coelophysis?

FIRST PAGE: The Muse Cheat Sheet

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Jellyfish rain on Urania.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Dinosaur Ghosts: The Mystery of Coelophysis, by J. Lynett Gillette
* Three Feet of Slime, by Mary Roach
* Yaaaaaaawning, by Haleh V. Samiei
* Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, by Jennifer Armstrong
* The Great Pretender, by Agnieszka Biskup [octopi]
* Dive to the Abyss, by Robert Evans
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Does cold water boil faster, and what is dust?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Ant math

LAST PAGE: Photograss, by Michelle Hoffman


VOLUME 5 — 2001
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10


Number 1 — January 2001

COVER: Taming the Horse

FIRST PAGE: Wild Pets

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko rides Bo.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Living with Horses, by Stephen Budiansky
* About Face, by Diana Steele
* Snake Rescuer, by Ken MacDonald
* Warrior Artist, by Herman J. Viola
* Wegener’s Crackpot Theory, by Charles Flowers
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Data in Hiding
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: lifespan of pollen, do archaeologists rebury mummies?

LAST PAGE: Thunder Beings


Number 2 — February 2001

COVER: The Roswell Incident

FIRST PAGE: Alien or Human?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli shoots a documentary about aliens.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Roswell Incident, by Robert L. Park
* Anne Simon: The Science Adviser to Whaaat? by Carey Goldberg
* Taking a Stand: Dian Fossey Keeps Watch over the Mountain Gorillas, by Tom Lalicki
* Dream Houses, by Mary Roach
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Why are moths drawn to light? Are night-lights bad for your eyes?

LAST PAGE: Barkitecture


Number 3 — March 2001

COVER: Swimming into Space: Astronauts Get All Wet

FIRST PAGE: Homeschooled Astronaut

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses visit the space station.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Two Men in a Tub, by Mary Roach
* Pyramid Builders, by Robert Adler
* Book of the Dead, an excerpt from Time-Life Books
* A Concrete Vision
* Picture This: How Pictures Work
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Is solitaire good for your brain? Can a broken-off starfish arm grow a new starfish?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Fancy Folding

LAST PAGE: Spineless Wonder


Number 4 — April 2001

COVER: Friendship Matters [chimpanzees]

FIRST PAGE: Dear Miss Monkey Manners

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt befriends a chimp

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Franz de Waal: Friendship Matters, by Deborah Blum
* A Magician Among the Spirits, by Tom Lalicki
* DNA for Dinner, by Dora Lee
* Ancient Arts and Crafts, by Karen Kreeger
* Packing and Cracking, by Pat Murphy
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: Underground roller coasters, April Fools’ Day
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tile Puzzles

LAST PAGE: Red Soda Lake


Number 5 — May/June 2001

COVER: It’s a Small World — (and It’s Getting Even Smaller…) [nanotechnology]

FIRST PAGE: Think BIG

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt eats a billion of Chad’s nano-doughnuts

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* It’s a Small World, by D. L., Arthur Ellis, and colleagues
* There’s Lots of Room at the Bottom, by Ed Regis
* A Foggy Future
* Lord of the Fleas, by Thomas Wilke
* A Walk on “The Far Side,” by Natalie Angier
* Exploring Color, by Pat Murphy and Paul Doherty
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tilt-a-Whirl Chaos
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: how dogs recognize masters

POINTS OF INTEREST: Weirdest Muse cover (flea-circus flea on human nose); Rosanne Spector joins Q & A


Number 6 — July/August 2001

COVER: “You Can’t Lose If You Choose Muse!” Ads: Why We Buy What We Buy

FIRST PAGE: Misfit Mascots

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko gives Chad’s unfinished invention the hard sell

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Ads: Why We Buy What We Buy, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Is It Art or Advertising? by John Grandits [Andy Warhol]
* Peanut Butter Love Explosion, by Nancy Kangas
* What a Blast! by Peter Banks
* Robomotion, by Steve Miller
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Lunar eclipses vs. phases of the moon
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Dots and Boxes

LAST PAGE: Metal Monster! by Steve Miller


Number 7 — September 2001

COVER: Are There Neandertals Among Us? The Mystery of the Neandertals

FIRST PAGE: Interview with a Neandertal

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses wonder how they’ll go down in history

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Mystery of the Neandertals, by Yvette La Pierre
* I’ll Be Back, by Steve Mirsky [how to become a fossil]
* Whirly Science, by Paul Doherty
* Ant Castles, by Frank Stephenson
* Think Different: Frank O. Gehry, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why do you sleep? Who wrote the first book?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Weird Bottles [Klein bottles]

LAST PAGE: Veggiemorph


Number 8 — October 2001

COVER: Can You Still Believe Your Eyes? Playing Fast and Loose with the Truth

FIRST PAGE: The Easy Guide to Photo Retouching

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Crraw and Aeiou trick Koko into getting a puppy, Devil.

ARTICLES & COLUMNS:

* Playing Fast and Loose with the Truth, by Robert Evans
* A Digital Artist Carves a Pumpkin
* Elliott Erwitt: Have a Camera with You at All Times, by Charles Flowers
* And the Waters Prevailed: The Violent Birth of the Black Sea, by Doug McInnis
* Days of the Dead, by Charles Flowers
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Defending the Roman Empire
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Chocolate; how many stars are there?

LAST PAGE: Olden Boy [what Leonardo DiCaprio will look like when he’s 75]


Number 9 — November 2001

COVER: What’s Wrong With This Picture? The True Story of the First Thanksgiving

FIRST PAGE: You’ve Got Mail, Pilgrim

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko steals the Muses’ Thanksgiving turkey

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The True Story of the First Thanksgiving, by Patricia Scott Deetz
* Tuberculosis: Kathleen’s Narrow Escape, by Jeanette Farrell
* The Art of the Dart, by Robert Sapolsky
* Vincent: Extreme Painter, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
* Can You Spot the Faux Van Gogh? by Joan Beljan
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Intestines; plutonium in space probes
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Decoding Bar Codes

LAST PAGE: Eel—It’s What’s for Dinner!

POINTS OF INTEREST: Agnes Biskup leaves the team; Michael Gerber comes on board


Number 10 — December 2001

COVER: Making Movie Monsters

FIRST PAGE: A True Hollywood Story

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pie-throwing flip book

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Stuffed Monsters, by Richard Rickitt
* Virtual Monsters, by Richard Rickitt
* Pick a Little, Talk a Little, by Rosanne Spector
* Chicken Chatter, by “Phineas Bantam-Pullet”
* SantaLand Diaries, by David Sedaris
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: How many kinds of cats? Why does sweat stink?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Bunching Buses

LAST PAGE: Truth Is Stranger—and Uglier—Than Fiction [deep-sea swallower fish]


VOLUME 6 — 2002
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Muse cuts back to nine issues a year.


Number 1 — January 2002

COVER: What’s Dangerous? What Just Seems That Way?

FIRST PAGE: Do Not Remove This Title

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania tries to talk Pwt out of being afraid to leave the house.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* To Risk or Not to Risk? by David Ropeik
* Mystery on Everest, by Audrey Salkeld
* Something Happened to My Brain! by Karen Hopkin
* Going Solo, by Roald Dahl
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz: How they bury people where there’s permafrost; why mosquito bites itch.
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Poe’s Secrets

LAST PAGE: An Eye on the Fly

POINTS OF INTEREST: First of many letters mentioning tenrecs (from Rachel, age 9)


Number 2 — February 2002

COVER: Animal Dads

FIRST PAGE: Animal Kids

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko takes care of Chad and Aeiou’s robot “baby.”

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Animal Dads, by Meredith F. Small
* The Big Bear Bust, by Alberto Enriquez
* Protecting the Earth from the Scum of the Universe, by Volker Steger with Michael Gerber
* A Big Stinker, by Terry Devitt
* Carnival in Rio, by Helmut Teissl
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Is it possible to fill a swimming pool with Jell-O?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Multicolored Maps

LAST PAGE: The Great Eight.

POINTS OF INTEREST: First photo of Muse reader in an exotic place (observation deck of Empire State Building in New York City).


Number 3 — March 2002

COVER: Are birds Related to Dinosaurs?

FIRST PAGE: Silly-o-saurus

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Crraw proclaims himself “Corvus Rex” and displays family portraits of his dinosaur relatives.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Feathered Dinosaurs, by Christopher Sloan
* The Great Cuttlefish Explosion, by Oliver Sacks
* Notes of a Cereal Spy, by Nancy Kangas
* Decorated Downspouts, by Darlene Trew Crist
* Happy Gargoyles, by Paul Palnik
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: What happens when a cobra bites itself?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: What a Coincidence!

LAST PAGE: Now You See It… Soon you Won’t? [Hawaiian koa bug.]

POINTS OF INTEREST: First “Cat Counter” introduced on Muse Mail page, set to 6,084,531,972. Pwt catches Crraw in Koko & Co. First full-page cartoon by Paul Palnik.


Number 4 — April 2002

COVER: Exposing the Moon Hoax; Why We Can’t Get There [Deep Space] from Here

FIRST PAGE: The Muses: Fiction or Fantasy?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko transports Urania to the planet Relnak in the star Banana Centauri.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS

* Why We Can’t Get There from Here, by Neil de Grasse Tyson
* To the Moon and Back, by Robert Zimmerman
* Were the Moon Landings Faked? by Philip Plait
* A Chat with the Czar of Conspiracies
* Life without Gravity, by Robert Zimmerman
* Those Pesky Moon Landings Again! by “Dr. Hieronymous Lunatick”
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why teeth fall out instead of grow.
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Mental Math
* Amazing Hoaxes, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: A Lumpy Planet

POINTS OF INTEREST: Cat counter reaches 7,683,940,251.


Number 5 — May/June 2002

COVER: Hairy Barbarians on the Silk Road

FIRST PAGE: A Brief History of the Silk Road

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko meets a mummy.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Taklamakan Mummies Step onto the World’s Stage, by Heather Pringle
* The Puzzle of the Taklamakan Mummies, by Elizabeth Barber with D. L.
* Did Marco Polo Go to China? by Tom Huntington
* Misadventures of Marco Polo, by M. G. [Michael Gerber]
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Who named the planets?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Batting Streaks
* The Million Lies of the Great Marco Polo? by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: What, No Broomstick?

POINTS OF INTEREST: Cat counter reaches 8,367,940,251


Number 6 — July/August 2002 (Cats)

COVER: The Cat Buddy System

FIRST PAGE: If You Don’t Like Cats…

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Crraw teaches Pwt to hunt like a cat.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Are Cats Antisocial? by Susan Milius
* Killer Cats, by Susan Milius
* Petting Preferences, by Susan Milius
* Ancient Cats, by Jaromir Malek
* A Declaration of Independence, by M.G. [Michael Gerber]
* A Cat’s Prayer, by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold
* The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett
* We Are Siamese If You Please…, by Peter Brown
* The Pied Piper of Glass, by Nancy Kangas
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Sulfur-eating bacteria on Io? Growing new blood?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Unfolding Wonders
* Odd Cats Through History, by Paul Palnik

POINTS OF INTEREST: Dog Counter on Muse News page starts out at 3.

LAST PAGE: Feline Free-for-All


Number 7 — September 2002 (Chess)

COVER: Chess for Kids Who Don’t Play Chess

FIRST PAGE: Some Fun Facts about Chess!

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Aeiou’s two chess-playing computers pit logic versus emotion.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* A Chess Piece, by Colleen Schafroth
* Harry Potter’s Chess Teacher, by Robert Coontz
* Back to School Agane, by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle
* Nature’s Blimps, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: why diet sodas float; how fast hair grows; watermelon stripes and seeds; lightning rods; really making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
* Chess Secrets, by Paul Palnik
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Global Views

POINTS OF INTEREST: Dog Counter reaches 23; Bo’s Page replaces Muse News.

LAST PAGE: Nighty-Knight


Number 8 — October 2002

COVER: Why Did They All Die? The Black Death

FIRST PAGE: A Plague of Posers

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli decides Feather has come down with the Orange Death.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Looking into the Pit, by Daniel Defoe
* The Black Death, by T. K. Dennison and A. W. Carus
* A Turning Point? by T. K. Dennison and A. W. Carus
* What Disease Was It? by D. L. and T. K. Dennison
* Sun Suckers and Moon Cursers, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Full Moon Friday the Thirteenth, by Atul Gawande
* A School Story, by M. R. James
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tricky Choices
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Do ants and bees revolt? What is color blindness?
* Memorable World Superstitions, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Who Are You Calling “Happyface”?

POINTS OF INTEREST: In Muse Mail, five readers and 18 non-readers request a dog issue; Dog Counter soars to 31.


Number 9 — November/December 2002 (Dogs)

COVER: How Dogs Tamed Us

FIRST PAGE: Anything You Can Do… [Dog and Cat Sing-Off]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko’s dog Devil trashes the house.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Irredeemable Weirdness of the Dog, by Stephen Budiansky
* Are Dogs Dumb? by Karen Hopkin
* Stickeen, by John Muir
* A Dog’s Life, by Iain Zaczek
* The Dog that Bit People, by James Thurber
* Lost Dog [from Lost: Lost and Found Pet Posters from Around the World, collected by Ian Phillips]
* When Larry Got Lost, by Paul Palnik
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why do dogs like being petted? Why do some dogs drool so much?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Gambling Dogs

LAST PAGE: Stop and “Go”


VOLUME 7 — 2003
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Number 1 — January 2003

COVER: Was Napoleon Killed by His Wallpaper?

FIRST PAGE: Napoleon: International Man of Mystery

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad and Mimi offer to rescue Napoleon from exile.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Murder (Maybe) of Napoleon, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Was Captain Kidd a Pirate? by Richard Zacks
* How to Plunder a Galleon, by Adam Goodheart
* The Plague of Sailors, by Kristin Cobb
* Hornblower Almost Hangs a Pirate, by C. S. Forester
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: What causes hiccups? Why are mountaintops colder than lowlands?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Monopoly Cheat Sheet
* Captain Kidd’s Long Lost Log Book, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Mystery Island


Number 2 — February 2003

COVER: How to Catch a Cold

FIRST PAGE: Germ Warfare

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather and Mimi try to treat Pwt’s cold symptoms.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Catching a Cold, by Atul Gawande
* The Lost History of the Sword, by Jeffrey L. Forgeng and Mark Millman
* Muse Guide to Swordfighting Movies
* How to Fight a Duel, by Adam Goodheart
* Night of the Living Unculus
* Sandy Skoglund, by Sylvia Wolf [artist]
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Hailstone Numbers
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Movie popcorn; sand, soil, dirt, etc.
* Your Honor Has Been Challenged, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Sight Gag

POINTS OF INTEREST: On page 44, the editors introduce hot-pink bunnies to replace passages in Muse Mail letters debating whether cats are better than dogs.


Number 3 — March 2003

COVER: Call of the Cryptile Lizard

FIRST PAGE: The 2,000,021st Century

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather and Pwt conjure up a bizarre vision of life 100 million years in the future.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Future Beasts, by D. L. with Thomas Holtz, Jr., and John Merck, Jr.
* Are You Human?
* The Call of the Kakapo, by Douglas Adams and Mark Cardwardine
* How to Illuminate a Manuscript, by Elizabeth B. Wilson
* Cooked Books
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: It’s Not You, It’s the Puzzle
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Chocolate chip cookies; nail-polish danger?
* The Kakapo Hall of Fame, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Beach Walker


Number 4 — April 2003 (Fashion)

FIRST PAGE: Clothes Make the Pet

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania describes her personal fashion statement.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Putting It On, by Alison Lurie
* Giving Clowns Happy Feet, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* The Fork Comes to the Table, by James Cross Giblin
* Smudging the Linen, by Nancy Kangas
* When Etiquette Ruled the Earth, by Nancy Kangas
* Regrettable Food, by James Lileks
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Flipping a Coin
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Hamsters vs. mice in psychology experiments; hungry hiccups.
* Oddities in the History of Fashion, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: What to Wear?


Number 5: May/June 2003

COVER: Rube Goldberg Machines / Perpetual Motion Machines

FIRST PAGE: We’re on Your Side

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko builds a machine that works forever.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Something for Nothing? by David Lindley [perpetual motion]
* Perpetual Motion Quiz, by Larry Gonick
* Doing Things the Hard Way, by Lawrence Biemiller
* Dr. Decibel: Noise-Fighting Superhero, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Kokopelli Gets a Music Lesson, by Paul Baker
* Odd Instruments, by Rena Archwamety
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: What’s the Deal?
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Swiss cheese; numb, tingly feet.
* Odd Musical Instruments through the Ages, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Feel the Beat?


Number 6: July/August 2003

COVER: Who Should Design Skateboard Parks?

FIRST PAGE: What Were They Thinking?

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt and Koko go skateboarding.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* A Good Thrashing, by William Thompson
* Skatepark Reviews, by Thrasher magazine
* Beyond Plastic Turtles [playground design], by Joan Kuckkahn
* Why Mosquitoes Want to Drink Your Blood, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* You Reek! by Nancy Kangas
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: One-Cut Angelfish
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Do insects catch colds? How many vocal cords do cats and dogs have?
* The Mosquito Cafe Menu, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: How to Do an Ollie


Number 7: September 2003

COVER: What Happened on Easter Island?

FIRST PAGE: What People Really Do on Deserted Islands, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather and Urania are stranded on a desert island.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Easter’s End, by Jared Diamond
* The Polynesian Mystery, by Nicholas Wade
* The Mysterious Island, by D. L.
* What’s the Big Idea? by Bonnie Barrett Stretch [enormous art]
* Remarkable Trees, by Tim Flannery
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Seeing Spots [domino pictures]
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why do older people get sick less often? What was the first video game?
* Trees Named Bob, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: When Is a Tree Not a Tree?


Number 8: October 2003

COVER: Harvington Hall: House of Secrets

FIRST PAGE: Parasite Poetry, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Dr. Koko checks Pwt for parasites.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Who’s in Charge Here? by Carl Zimmer [parasites]
* Harvington Hall: House of Secrets, by Paul Baker
* Opening the Box of Delights [books by John Masefield]
* Bombs Away! [West Virginia pumpkin drop]
* Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science, by John Fleischman
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Up the Magician’s Sleeve [a good card trick]
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why are unripe fruit green? Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
* The Day Things Got out of Hand at the Annual West Virginia Univ. Pumpkin Drop, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: Soliloquy of a Saw Shark


Number 9: November/December 2003

COVER: Magic in Middle-earth

FIRST PAGE: Ble! Newluj—No Fulst, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Lard of the Rings

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Ma Quetelyë i Eldalambë? by Rena Archwamety
* Magic in Middle-earth, by Richard Rickitt
* The Shadow of the Past, by Laurence Schorsch
* Rampaging Reptiles [Dragons], by Diana Lutz
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Magic Squares
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Are antibacterial hand gels bad for you? Do two chicks hatch out of a double-yolk egg?
* Dragons, Myths, and Tree Fungus, by Paul Palnik

LAST PAGE: The Raincoat of Invisibility


VOLUME 8 — 2004
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Number 1: January 2004

COVER: Snowball Earth: Was Earth an Ice World?

FIRST PAGE: Ice. Is it Nice? by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad’s climate-control machine causes problems

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Snowball Earth, by Gabrielle Walker
* That Inner Glow [fluorescent minerals]
* Tales from the Underground [New York subway], by Randy Kennedy
* Crouching Dragons, Hidden Carvings, by Paul Baker
* Why the Fries Taste So Good, by Eric Schlosser
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Dog Does Calculus
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Is it true that sugar makes you hyperactive?

LAST PAGE: Snowball Art


Number 2: February 2004

COVER: Could You Live Forever?

FIRST PAGE: The Secrets of Staying Young, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad’s immortality experiment goes awry.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* How Long Can People Live? by Karen Hopkin
* Talking to a 2000-Year-Old Man, by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner
* Living It Up [why animals live as long as they do], by Mary Beckman
* Who’s the Oldest?
* Old Too Soon [Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome], by Evelyn Strauss
* The Emperor’s Silent Army [Qin Shihuang’s tomb], by Jane O’Connor
* The Philosophers’ Stone, by Lawrence Principe
* A Long and Skinny Life? by Gary Taubes
* Chilled to be Here [cryonics], by David Pescovitz
* A Body Built to Last
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Infinite Wonders
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why don’t other mammals have bellybuttons?

LAST PAGE: The Face of Immortality?


Number 3: March 2004

COVER: The Real Dirt on the Rainforest

FIRST PAGE: Test Your Soil Smarts, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather tries to save the rainforest.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Mystery of the Great Forest, by Susan E. Quinlan
* Another Dirty Mystery, by Robert Stewart
* The Case of the Monkeys That Fell from Trees, by Susan E. Quinlan
* Tricks of the Light, by Robert Greenler
* Our Senseless Senses, by Laurence Schorsch
* Mystery Writer, by Jeffrey L. Forgeng
* Child’s Play, by D. L. with Jeffrey L. Forgeng
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Who invented dark chocolate, and who thought of making it into shapes? Would a can of Reddi-wip fill a bathtub, closet, room, or house?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Solve It or Die

LAST PAGE: Very Special Dirt


Number 4: April 2004

COVER: Fairy Tales: For Adults Only?

FIRST PAGE: Fairy-Tale Blooper

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses crowd into a fairy tale.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Was Cinderella Blonde? by Alison Lurie
* Super-Mini, One-Size-Fits-All Fairy Tale, by Nancy Kangas
* Who Wrote “Cinderella”? by Susan E. Quinlan
* Riding the Severn Bore, by Paul Baker
* Vicious Jellyfishes, by Graham Lawton
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: How did the heart come to symbolize love, and why doesn’t the symbol look like a human heart? Can mosquitoes pass any kind of virus?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Knight’s Tour

LAST PAGE: Is It Real or Is It Photoshop? [supersonic cloud]


Number 5: May/June 2004

COVER: What’s in the Center of the Milky Way?

FIRST PAGE: We Call Him Spot [pet black hole]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad builds a Cosmic Garbage Disposal.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Falling In, by Tim Folger
* The Beast in the Middle, by Robert Irion
* That Pesky Toaster! by Ben Hillman
* Tenrec Tales, by Carl Zimmer
* Things that Go Splat in the Night, by Richard and Joyce Wolkomir
* Infrared Quiz
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Does wet firewood burn faster than dry? Why do fingernails curve when they get longer?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Sink or Be Sunk [new way of playing “Battleship”]

LAST PAGE: Bend It Like Einstein

POINTS OF INTEREST: Tenrecs everywhere! They even poke their pointy little snouts into the articles about black holes.


Number 6: July/August 2004

COVER: Monsters and Giants and Gods, Oh My!

FIRST PAGE: How to Tell If There’s a Giant Nearby

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko shows PWT some giant fossils—or are they Giant fossils?

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Battles of the Gods (or Family Feud Classic): A Muse Mini-Myth, by Laurence Schorsch; art by Thor Wickstrom
* When Giants Walked the Earth, by Adrienne Mayor
* Insect Stare-Downs, by Tom Eisner
* Toad Overload, by Peter Monaghan
* Worm’s Room
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why doesn’t lightning striking the ocean kill all the fish? Do bugs sleep standing up, lying down, or not at all?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Champion Paper-Folder (Britney Gallivan)

LAST PAGE: Insect Stare-Down Jamboree, by Paul Palnik


Number 7: September 2004

COVER: Mona Lisa Stolen

FIRST PAGE: This Book is the Property of:/ Teacher’s Unsatisfactory Work Report, by Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli takes a test, with telepathy.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Boo, Boo, Boo, Square Root of Two, by Malcolm Gladwell
* Muse Basic Skills Test, by Andrew Yankes
* A, B, and C [heroes of word problems], by Stephen Leacock
* Anybody Can See through a Microscope, by James Thurber
* Mona Kidnapped! by Donald Sassoon
* The Fine Art of Advertising, by Barry Hoffman
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Do blind people “see” anything? If gems are nonorganic and carbon is organic, why is diamond considered a gem?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Tricky Crossings

LAST PAGE: Doodle Hands, by Nancy Kangas


Number 8: October 2004

COVER: The Oldest Mummies

FIRST PAGE: NOTScape

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Urania meets Koko’s mummy.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Oldest Mummies in the World, by Heather Pringle
* The Poop Defense, by Tom Eisner
* Solving the Myth of Osiris [Caltech pranks], by Neil Steinberg
* A Story in Stone [Blaucher mausoleum, Buffalo, New York]
* Dream Coffins, by Thierry Secretan
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Poe, E.; Near a Raven [mnemonics]
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: When you pop your fingers or your back, what makes the noise?

LAST PAGE: You Can Call Me Flower


Number 9: November/December 2004

COVER: What’s Inside the Earth?

FIRST PAGE: The Hairdos of Wooly Willy During the Flipping of Earth’s Magnetic Field

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* How to Tell the Earth from a Giant Peach, by Robert Coontz
* Hang on to Your Compass, by William J. Broad
* Crackpot Theories of the Earth, by Alex Boese
* Iona, Fiona, Fee, Fi, Biona—Iona [schoolyard songs and games recorded by Iona and Peter Opie], by D. L.
* Sailing on the Silver Screen [special effects in Master and Commander], by Richard Rickit
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Earth Hole [what if you could drop a stone all the way through the Earth?]
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: How come natural gas can burn underwater? How many helium-filled balloons would it take to lift someone off the ground?

LAST PAGE: Vasa Matter with My Ship? [400-year-old sunken Swedish warship]

POINTS OF INTEREST: Muse Mail introduces a symbol key to save space in printing letters. Muse Contest shows winners of “Kokopelli for President” campaign competition.


VOLUME 9 — 2005

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Number 1: January 2005

COVER: Guilty As Charged?

FIRST PAGE: Things Not to Leave Behind at a Crime Scene

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad uses DNA to solve a doughnut theft.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Adventure of the Egyptian Treasures, by Mark Bennett
* Guilty as Charged? by Jim Dwyer
* The First DNA Case, by Ron Fridell
* Whose Bones? by Dr. Henry C. Lee and Frank Tirnady
* Did You See That? by Karen Hopkin
* Do Fingerprints Lie? by Michael Specter
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Could pulling a perfectly taut rope allow faster-than-light communication? Why do trees of the same species change colors differently in the fall?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Advanced Floating

LAST PAGE: Dolls Definitely Dead


Number 2: February 2005

COVER: Is Everybody Special?

FIRST PAGE: Surefire Self-Esteem Boosters

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Koko suffers from self-doubt.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Rise and Fall of Self-Esteem, by Frank Stephenson
* The Lord God Bird, by Phillip Hoose
* The First DNA Case, by Ron Fridell
* Feeding Time at the Zoo, by Phillip T. Robinson
* Tunneling Under Water, by David Lindley
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why do people swing their arms back and forth when they run? Why do all the birds in a flock seem to move all at once?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Chomping to Victory

LAST PAGE: Giraffe Attempts Reverie at National Zoo


Number 3: March 2005

COVER: How to Spot a Fake Rembrandt

FIRST PAGE: If Fine Art Had Fine Print

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad and Urania ponder a pied painting.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Neverending Project, by Donald Sassoon
* Earth Puzzles, by Andrew K. Johnston
* Fairy Circles, by Henk Rossouw
* Seeing Red, by Tom Eisner
* Q & A, by H. F. Ellis (substituting for Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector): Why are tigers striped? Why do crabs walk sideways? Do lobsters think?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Random Knots

LAST PAGE: Extreme Camo


Number 4: April 2005

COVER: Scientific Liar Spotting

FIRST PAGE: Reading Rover

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad and Aeiou test their lie detector on Mimi.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Deception Detection: Can Science Spot a Lie?, by Carrie Lock
* Whoosh, Then Splat: The Art of the Catapult, by William Gurstelle
* Siege Machines of Myth and Legend, by Roland Harvey
* Intelligent Air, by Larry Gonick
* Looks Fishy to Me: How Fish See Other Fish, by Susan Milius
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: How much does a cloud weigh? Can all elements be destructive if their nuclei are split?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Never Lift the Pencil

LAST PAGE: Star Quilt


Number 5: May/June 2005

COVER: Birds Doing Math?

FIRST PAGE: Fresh Findings About Our Feathered Friends

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Pwt pursues Crraw all the way into the billions.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Counting Coots, by Jay Ingram
* Creatures of the Salty Sea, by Tim Flannery
* The Great Stuff Experiment, by Tom Bartlet
* Johann and the Magic Stones, by Stephanie Pain
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why does tickling make you laugh? If Y chromosomes keep getting shorter, will human males disappear?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Math Music

LAST PAGE: Stuffed![Japanese apartments]


Number 6: July/August 2005

COVER: Baffling Your Brain

FIRST PAGE: Trompe l’oeil Tomfoolery

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses become disillusioned.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Baffled Brain, by Carl Zimmer
* The Upside-Downs, by Gustave Verbeek
* A Family Affair: The Cassini Line of Mapmakers, by Val Ross
* Frans [de Waal] and [chimp] Friends
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Why do we get shadows under our eyes when we lose sleep? How does a water filter work?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Seeing Things

LAST PAGE: A Cutty Sark? [fool-the-eye sculpture]


Number 7: September 2005

COVER: Styling Food

FIRST PAGE: Alien Attack, Assignment: Earth

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Mimi objects to Feather’s non-native garden.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* The Ragbag Rainforest, by Fred Pearce
* A Surfeit of Coneys, by Paul Baker
* The New Coke Disaster, by Malcolm Gladwell
* The Food Stylist’s Art, by Doug Stewart
* Beyond Nourishmen, by Agnieszka Biskup
* Code Warriors, by Jennifer Jacobson
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Where did the atmosphere come from? What makes a person’s face look older after puberty?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Icing the Kicker

LAST PAGE: Holey Moley! [star-nosed mole]


Number 8: October 2005

COVER: How to Read a Tombstone

FIRST PAGE: Wonder Drug

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Trick and/or treat.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Sweet Elixir of Death, by Paul Collins
* The Case of the Four-Armed Corpse, by Stephanie Pain
* Sent to the Tower, by Paul Baker
* How to Read a Tombstone, by Douglas Keiste
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: How do birds chirp?
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Sudoku Mania

LAST PAGE: Designed by the Desert? [Egyptian pyramids and Sphinx]


Number 9: November/December 2005

COVER: Exploding Trousers

FIRST PAGE: Dark Waters [blog entries by B. Cavefish]

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY:

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Why do Cavefish Lose Their Eyes? by Louis and Monika Espinasa
* Farmer Buckey’s Exploding Trousers, by Stephanie Pain
* Gamers All Around You, by Duncan Graham-Rowe
* Calder: The Man Who Made Art out of the Ordinary, by Doug Stewart
* Peer Pressure, by Sandra Blakeslee
* Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Where does grass seed come from; why are LED blubs so commen in flashlights but not in home light fixtures?
* Math Page by Ivars Peterson: A good plot

LAST PAGE: Skaters, OUI! Cars, NON! [“Group skates” in Paris.]

VOLUME 10 — 2006

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Number 1: January 2006

COVER: Wizards of the Rainforest.

FIRST PAGE: Plumpy to the Rescue

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Caring Kokopelli and helpful Pwt.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

* Medical Mavericks, by Dan Bortolotti
* Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: The Beauty of the Bag
* TechnoPuzzlers, by Brian Hayes
* Are You a Natural-Born Un-Naturalist? by Agnieska Biskup
* Portrait of a Lady, by Stephanie Pain
* Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: If you were driving at the speed of light, could you see your headlights? Can’t manatees hear?
* Their Ticket is Valid, by Anne E. Russon

LAST PAGE: Don’t Tell Chicken Little [Crashed rocket parts in meadow]


Number 2: February 2006

COVER: Where did Flo go?

FIRST PAGE: A Field Guide to As-Yet-Unconfirmed Humanlike Species

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Attack of the mini-muses/mega-muses

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Who was Flo? By Carl Zimmer
The Sentry-Box Experiments, by Joan Dash
Tidying Up Art, by Ursus Wehrli
Paco the Taco, by Donna M. Jackson
Translations from the Elisabethan
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: In what way do dinosaurs resemble chickens? and can overexposure to an overchlorinated pool cause perminate eye damage?
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Hard Cash

LAST PAGE: Face It by Nancy Kangas


Number 3: March 2006

COVER: Under Your Skin

FIRST PAGE: Taking the M.U.T. Yest

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather Talks to his Turnups

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Under Your Skin, by Carl Zimmer
Black and White Photos, by Nancy Kangas
The Bias Hunters, by Diane Ravitch
Zebra-Fish Stripes, by Diana Lutz
It’s all about Vitamins, by Gina Kirchweger
Zebra Stripes, by Diana Lutz
Are you Prejudiced? By Malcom Gladwell
Multicultural Betty, by Nancy Kangas
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Bonked heads and throwing up; deadly Daddy Longlegs?
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Problems to sharpen the young

LAST PAGE:


Number 4: April 2006

COVER: Why Can’t You Remember Your First Birthday?

FIRST PAGE: Helpful Review of Things You Don’t Remember

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather’s Lost Present

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Making Memories, by Jay Ingram
Vehicles with Insufficient Wheels, by Douglas Self
The Sun Pitches a Fit, by Richard A. Lovett
Resisting Hitler, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
[The Sultan and the Giantess on Vacation, by the PB&J? Or by nobody? Confuzzled]
Q & A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: If you lit a candle in the space shuttle, what would happen to the flame? and Do common household pets suffer from depression, and if they do, how do you tell if your pet has it?
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: By the Numb3rs

LAST PAGE: Saturn’s Other Rings


Number 5: May/June 2006

COVER: Talking about Talking

FIRST PAGE: Attention Lull Stewpots! Nancy Kangas

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad dissects Urania’s brain

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Learning to speak [how do we do it?], by Fiona Cowie,
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Is it scientifically possible for a fantasy world’s sky to be light purple? and why do we blush?
English as She Is Spoke, by Paul Collins,
A Lost Language; Pocahontas speaks again, by John NobleWilford,
The Poetry Machine, by Stanislaw Lem
A Made-Up Language, by Stephen Totilo
Math Column, by Ivars Peterson: From counting to writing?
Many Languages, by Michael Erard

LAST PAGE: Paradise Lost all over again


Number 6: July/August 2006

COVER: Who’s that you’re eating? [A cannibal bug]

FIRST PAGE: Investigating Parent Behavior

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Bo eats cow chow made of cow

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
You Are What You Eat, by Romana Prokopiw
Drip Detective, by Alison Abbott
The Abstract Expressionist Brushwork of Cats
Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox
Invasion of the Vines, by Kathleen Angione
Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Catnip and mold
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Count and Capture

LAST PAGE: They call them Pimples [Alligator snouts]


Number 7: September 2006

COVER: The Greenhouse heats up

FIRST PAGE: The Rainforest-Capable SUV: BEAST

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad creates a toad bent on stopping global warming

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
A Warning from the Golden Toad, by Tim Flannery
The secrets of Vesuvius, by James M. Deem
Surviving a Robot Revolt, by Cornelia Dean
Getting Around in Style, by Paula Wasley
Water World, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Flowers and weightlessness
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Climbing a Watery Slope

LAST PAGE: Jeepers Creepers, Where’d you get those Peepers? [The red-eyed tree frog]


Number 8: October 2006

COVER: A Skull Mask

FIRST PAGE: Screamazon.eek

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Trick, trick, trick, trick, trick and treat

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Empire of the Dead, by Ted Gup
Slime, by Richard Conniff
Cosplaying, by Diana Lutz
X-treme Cheese Rolling, by Paul Baker
What did the Person Look Like? by Debora MacKenzie
Putting a Skull to a Face, by Diana Lutz
Follies, Shams, and Eyecatchers, by Gwyn Headley and Wim Meulenkamp
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Photons and dreams
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Upgrading

LAST PAGE: Very, Very, Very Dry Jell-O


Number 9: November/December 2006

COVER: Your Inner Copycat

FIRST PAGE: Body-English Pop Quiz

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather tries to teach the imitating robot how to garden

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
Your Inner Copycat, by David Dobbs
Living Pictures, by Mireya Navarro
A Muse Mini-Myth: The Trojan War, or a Really Bad Series of Unfortunate Events, by Nancy Kangas
Schliemann: Braggart, Boaster, and Discoverer of Troy, by Laura A. Schlitz
Curiouser and Curiouser, by Lester Haines
Return of the Giant Insects!, by Stephaine Pain
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: P.S. and Human Hair Color Variety
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: The Simpsons and Mathematics

LAST PAGE: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall [A computer that can predict what you will look like in the future]

VOLUME 11 — 2007

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9


Number 1: January 2007

COVER: Muse’s 10th Birthday Cake

FIRST PAGE: Muse Turns 10

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: The Muses [try to] make Kokopelli’s 10th Birthday Cake

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:

Vegetarianism, by Judy Krizmanic [Muse Classic]
Picking the Perfect Birthday Card (for the Perfect Magazine), by Nancy Kangas
The Mystery of the Damascus Sword, by John Verhoeven and Alfred Pendray [Muse Classic]
The First Kokopelli and Company [Muse Classic]
The Art of Celebration, by Paul Baker
Crash! by David L. Wheeler [Muse Classic]
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Various questions asked from days before [Muse Classic]
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: The power of 10

LAST PAGE: The Ultimate Party Favor, by Robert J Lang [An origami hot pink bunny]


Number 2: February 2007

COVER: Who is this creature?

FIRST PAGE: A Close Look at Pooh-poohing

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Chad’s fake newspaper angers some

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
The Printer’s Trial, by Gail Jarrow
Whimsical Wood, by Michael Chibnik
How to Be Cool, by Guy Browning
Selling Soap, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt
If the World Didn’t have Shes or Hes…, by Nancy Kangas
No One Thanked Him, by Dennis B. Fradin
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Breaking glass and hand preference
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Spiraling Triangles

LAST PAGE: Oops! [A ship run ashore]


Number 3: March 2007

COVER: Ligers and Tigons and Bears, Oh My!

FIRST PAGE: The secret life of Jeans

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Kokopelli lifts weights so his offspring won’t have noodly arms

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
You are the Guardian of Your Genes, by Diana Lutz
The Great Book Rescue, by Aaron Lansky
Heiroglyphs from the Sky, by Kenneth Libbrecht
The Case of the Missing Gas, by Elizabeth Rush
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Traffic Lanes and Frozen bubbles
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Picture Game

LAST PAGE: Hidden Treasure [Paintings on the edges of the pages of a book]


Number 4: April 2007

COVER: Extreme Origami

FIRST PAGE: Human Origami

KOKOPELLI & COMPANY: Feather feels like a loser.

ARTICLES AND COLUMNS:
The War of the Origami Bugs, by Jennifer Kahn
Yo! Turn Me Off! by Tracy Staedter
Playing ’Possum, by Susan Milius
Pyongyang, by Guy Delisle
Q&A, by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector: Best pie for throwing, fur color and animal temperament
Math Page, by Ivars Peterson: Eye Reflections

LAST PAGE: Got a Frog in Your Throat?


May/June 2007.
1 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company:The Muses fight over a dollar bill.
8 – Banker to the Poor by Muhammed Yunus
16 – Giant, Nonfolding Money by Scott Fitzpatrick
19 – How the US Economy Works by Dave Barry
23 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector
24 – Play Money by Julian Dibbell
36 – Math Page: Twisted Security by Ivars Peterson
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Hell Bank Bills


July/August 2007.
1 – Dear Muse Reader… by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Kokopelli runs a lemonade stand.
8 – The Broad Street Pump by Steven Johnson
18 – Maria Sibylla Merian: Drawing From Life by Mary Batten
25 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector
26 – What Hath Harry Wrought? by Allegra and Stuart Rosenberg
36 – Math Page: Seven Bridges by Ivars Peterson
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Almighty Dollars


September 2007.
1 – Dear Muse Reader…
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Pwt and Chad have some troubles with their RV.
8 – Tiny Houses, Big Backyard by Mary Jo Hunst
18 – Whither the Mahout! by Cynthia Graber
27 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector
What makes Pop Rocks pop?
Do we always dream? Sometimes it feels like I don’t dream but my mom says it’s just because I forgot my dreams when I wake up. Is this true?
28 – Caterpillar, Grub, Larva, Nymph, Maggot by Philip B. Mortenson
28 – Math Page: Changing the Soccer Ball by Ivars Peterson
37 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Survivors


October 2007.
1 – Ghost Mumbling by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Chad invents an Ectoplasmic Amplifier, allowing poor Feather to come in contact with the “world beyond”.
8 – Talking to Ghosts by Mary Roach
16 – The Man With the Brains by Erik Vance
20 – The Other I by Tracy Spaight
28 – Sounds Amazing! by Richard Rickitt
35 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector
36 – Math Page: Mystic Puzzler by Ivans Peterson
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Things Fall Apart


November/December 2007.
1 – Bestsellers of 1491 by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Kokopelli steals Feather’s donuts and Urania helps.
8 – How Many Had to Die? by Charles C. Mann
16 – Flotsam Science by Sid Perkins
22 – Garden of Surprises by Paul Baker
30 – Message in a Bottle by Skye Moody
35 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector
Where do you have a headache? Obviously in your head, but in the brain or muscle?
Why do we not our heads “yes” and shake for “no”? Where did this come from, and why does everyone seem to understand it?
36 – Math Page: King Me! by Ivars Peterson
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Pass the Salt


VOLUME 12 — 2008

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

January 2008.
1 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Chad invents the Search Engine.
8 – The Google Story by David A. Vise
16 – Artsmart Pigeons by Frans de Waal
18 – Time Flies by Jay Ingram
26 – Convergence by Sharon Parmet
28 – Making a Universe by Bill Bryson
35 – Q&A by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
Why is it so hard to move your toes separately?
Why can’t a bird be electrocuted from sitting on a power line?
36 – Math Page: Ways to Lay Track by Ivars Peterson
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Lying Down on the Job Increases Productivity


February 2008.
1 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company: Pwt and Feather quarrel.
8 – Oxygen: A Love Story by Gabrielle Walker
15 – Something For Nothing by David Linley
21 – Math Page: Border States by Ivars Peterson
22 – Construction: Sight by Donald Hoffman
30 – Mozart’s Little Muse by Frans de Waal
35 – Q&A by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Watch Out, Phil


March 2008.
1 – Dear Muse Reader… by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company: Chad tries to kill rats.
7 – Q&A by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
Why do you get little bags under your eyes when you don’t get enough sleep?
Why does soda fizz when you pour it over ice?
8 – Rats! by Robert Sullivan
16 – You Say Susquehanna, I Say Kangaroo by Bill Bryson
18 – Math Page: Knotty Cords by Ivars Peterson
19 – Ivory-Billed Woodpecker: A Schrödinger’s Cat of Extinction and Conservation by Scott Weidensaul and John James Audubon
25 – Thinking Like a Swarm by Steven Johnson
33 – Growing Software by Paul Marks
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Math on a Mission: The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef


April 2008:
1 – Dear Muse Reader
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company: Pwt finds Aeiou talking to an octopus.
7 – Unlikely Minds: Why the Octopus Has a Brain Rather Than a Shell by Eugene Linden
18 – Fly Like a Bird? by David Alexander
26 – The Answers about Climate Change by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch
33 – Q&A by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
What controls our emotions, moods, and feelings?
Why do a flounder’s eyes move across its head?
34 – Chocolate Challenge by Mike O’Hare
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: A Whale of a Time


May/June 2008.
1 – Dear Muse Reader… by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Kokopelli asks Urania to borrow a pencil.
8 – Wait, We Forgot the Pencil! by Henry Petroski
14 – How a Pencil is Made by Sharon Rose and Neil Schlager
18 – Christmas Postcards From the South Pole by Sara Wheeler
24 – A Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield
28 – Nexting by Daniel Gilbert
35 – Q&A by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
How do seedless watermelons grow if they don’t have any seeds?
Why does the moon sometimes appear red?
36 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Someday I’ll Be a Real Boy…


July/August 2008

0 (Cover): Hitting the Wall
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Feather races Turtle
8 – Racing the Antelope, by Bernd Heinrich
15 – Freaky Fluid, by Mick O’Hare; photos by Robin Muccari
18 – Infection, by Gerald Callahan
24 – Renaissance Man, text from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, translated by Jean Paul Richter
28 – Charlie Goodnight and the First Cattle Drive, by Alan Axelrod; art by Grover Toadvine
36 – Muse Mail
37 – Q&A, by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
What causes flint and steel to spark when they hit each other?
Who invented Band-Aids, and why?
38 – Muse Contest: Your Holiday
40 – Last Page: Sudsy Swim


September 2008

0 (Cover) – Note to Artists: Do Not Allow Your Priceless Creations to Be Buried in Dusty Storerooms!
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Pie-filler Machine
8 – A Bridge to the Past, by David McCullough
16 – Q&A, by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
Why don’t bats pass out when they hang upside down?
Why do rubber balls bounce?
17 – The Kooky Science of Molecular Gastronomy, by Patricia Gadsby; art by Robin Musccari
25 – Sugar and Spice, by Robert Wolke; art by Andouiette
30 – Muserology: How to Clean an Eagle, by Michelle Wetherell
32 – The Life Story of a Tree, by David Suzuki; art by Grover Toadvine
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: The Modern Naturalist
40 – Last Page: Composition in Blue


October 2008

0 (Cover) – Point, Click, Vote!
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Voting
8 – Vote.Com, by Elisabeth Nadin
15 – Q&A, by Andy Soth and Ruth Flagan
Why are water towers bigger on the top than the bottom? Wouldn’t that make them unbalanced?
How can a sneeze travel at about 100 miles per hour without breaking the wall when I sneeze at it? Why doesn’t the sneeze make my arm flail violently away from my mouth when I sneeze at it?
16 – Talk Like a Leader, by Jay Heinrichs
22 – The Locked Door, by Malcolm Gladwell; art by Megan Russell
27 – Muse Mail
28 – Muserology: My Growing Fascination, by Clara Stuligross
30 – The Facial Detective, by Bob Staake
38 – Muse Contest: Mind’s Eye
40 – Last Page: Strangers Among Us


November/December 2008

0 (Cover) – Lightning Leaves Us Thunderstruck
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Zeus’ Thunderstorm
8 – Shazam: Mysteries of Lightning, by John S. Friedman
13 – Muserology: Virtual Friendship, by Gail Gallaher
14 – A Lucky Strike, by Oliver Sacks; art by Robin Muccan
20 – Q&A, by Andy Soth and Ruth Flanagan
Is Jell-O solid, liquid, both, or neither?
Is it true that a mosquito can explode from drinking too much blood?
21 – Hungry Planet, by Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio
30 – The City Without Us, by Alan Weisman; art by Eamonn Donnelly
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Pencilebration
40 – Last Page: Mapping the Brain, by Cynthia Graber


January 2009

0 (Cover) – An Artist, Up Close and Personal
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Johhny-Joe Omaha’s Paintings
8 – Chuck Close Up Close, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
16 – Muserology: The Play’s the Thing, by Hannah Weverka
18 – The Future Is Here, by Wes Smith
25 – Reading the OED, by Ammon Shea; art by North Ronnow
32 – Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?, by Richard Stone; art by Eamonn Donnelly
36 – Q&A, by Robert Coontz; art by Slug Signorino
What would happen if Napoleon had a B-52 at the Battle of Waterloo? (recycled from September 2000)
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Chuck Wagon Challenge
40 – Last Page: Not Just a Patch of Grass


February 2009
0 (Cover) – Muse in the Sewer
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Opening up clogged sewer pipes
8 – Notes from the Underground, by Rose George; art by Eamonn Donnelly
16 – Muserology: A Day at Flakkebjerg, by Michala Karr
18 – Sniffing for Whales, by Joe Roman
24 – Floating Gold, Dragon Spittle, Whale’s Pearls, by Gail Skroback Hennessey
26 – The Sweet Smell of Progress, by Elizabeth Preston
28 – Get Thee to a Tub: A Brief History of (Not) Bathing, by Katherine Ashenburg; art by Slug Signorino
36 – Q&A by Robert Coontz; art by Slug Signorino
When I play video games, do my brain cells really die like my mom tells me?
Is it true that when you see someone you love or hate, your eyes dilate?
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Tree Tales
40 – Last Page: Grossest Food Ever (Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You)


March 2009
1 – Dear Muse Reader… by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Urania has a bad memory.
8 – How to Win the World Memory Championship by Joshua Foer
16 – Muserology: The Tibetan Children’s Village by Hugo Kessler
18 – Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple? by Andrew Curry
24 – Second Chance Zoo
28 – Unforgettable by Jessica Marshall
36 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley
Why are our feet usually the most ticklish parts of our body?
The prefix or suffix “cent” (percent, centennial, etc.) means a word that has to do with hundreds, right? So what does a centaur have to do with 100?
38 – Muse Contest
40 – Last Page: Picturing the Invisible


April 2009
0 (Cover) – Meet Mr. Tiktaalik
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley
Who were the first people to use speech recognizable as today’s English language?
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Kokopellid Fossils
8 – Finding Tiktaalik, by Neil Shubin
16 – The Invisible Everyday World, by Stephen Cass; art by Kali Ciesemier
24 – Muserology: Tales from the Physics Princess, by Hannah Bockbrader
26 – Cracking the Desire Code, by Rob Walker; advertisements by Shelden Erway
33 – Gut Math
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Something’s Missing
40 – Last Page: Meet the Chinese Giant Salamander


May/June 2009
0 (Cover) – Aliens Invade
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail
7 – Kokopelli and Company
8 – Alien Invasion,by Alan Burdick
15 – The Arrival, by Shaun Tan
23 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley
Do thoughts travel faster than light? How do animals get to Islands like Hawaii?
24 – Muserology: Une Nouvelle Mode de Vie, by Elaine Gillis
36 – Super-Drought in the Southwest, by Glen M. MacDonald
32 – Flight of the Flora, by Babara Hall
38 – Muse Contest: Robotticelli
40 – Last Page: Message in an Interstellar Bottle


July-August 2009:

0 (Cover) – This Magazine will make you feel better!
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 –Muse Mail, part one
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Kokopelli’s Placebo
8 – The Power of Placebo, Michael Brooks
16 – Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley, How can a snowflake be symmetrical when molecules water being added to one arm don’t know what’s happening on other arms? Do the climate and air quality affect the voices of people who live in that area?
17 – Web Masters, Richard Conniff
24 – Confessions of a Bando, Alyssa Myerly
26 – The Twelve Labors of Hercules, Muse Mini-myth. By Virginia Edwards, illustrations by Kali Ciesemier
35 – Studies in Human Behavior, by Professor Archibald Wingand (i.e. pranks)
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Contest: Kokopelli’s favorite prank
40 – Last word: The World @ Your Fingertips


September 2009:

0 (Cover) – Architects of Life
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Muse Mail, part one
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Genetically Engineered Donut Protectors.
8 – Living Machines, Phil McKenna
16 – Empty Street, Blank Canvas. by James D. Griffioen
22 – Muserology, Reading Between the Dots. Brittany Metts
24 – From Fossils to Flesh, interview with Tyler Keillor
26 – The Twelve Labors of Hercules, Muse Mini-myth. By Virginia Edwards, illustrations by Kali Ciesemier
28 – Q&A. Why Do Birds Fly in a V? If our atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen, then why do astronauts breathe pure oxygen?
29 – Not measuring Up, By Burkard Bilger, art by Sam Bosma
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Contest: edible Architecture
40 – Love and Interior Decorating, an imagined conversations between Bowerbirds


October 2009:

0 (Cover) – Old Heart Gives New Life
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 –Muse Mail, part one
7 – Kokopelli and Company: Buried Alive
8 – Home is where the Heart Liver Brain is. By Mary Roach.
16 – The Care and Keeping of Stars, by Gillian Conahan
23 – Plants that can kill you, by Amy Stewart
28 – Muserology: One Dollar, by Sharon Lurye
30 – Monster Mash, by Elizabeth Preston
34 – The Shocking and Terrifying True* Story: I WAS BURIED ALIVE
36 – Q&A: Do we fall asleep because our eyes are closed, or could we fall asleep in a pitch dark room with our eyes open? My old library teacher said he used to work at a cremation place, and that the dead bodies would move when they were burned. How and why does that happen?
37 – Muse Mail
38 – Contest: Click or Treat
40 – Space Spooks


November/ December 2009:

0 (Cover) – Are You Talkin’ to ME?
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company: Pwt wants to be a bird.
7 – Q&A Why are insects not hurt when falling a proportionally huge distance? What is the real correct posture?
8 – Teaching a Bird Brain to talk, by Irene Pepperberg
16 – The Victorian Internet, by Tom Standage
23 – Me, Myself and I: The Power of Pronouns , by Meg Moss
26 – Muserology: Harry and Me, by Abby Muller
28 – Tongue tied, by Robin T. Reid
30 – The Friendly Devil Fish, an interview with Toni Frohoff
36 – Muse Mail, part 2.
38 – Contest: Polly Does Not want a cracker!
40 – Last Page: Codes in the 1700s.


January 2010:

0 (Cover) – The Outsiders
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company: Aeiou’s thoughts.
7 – Q&A How does long hair get knotted so easily? What is the dark part of space made of?
8 – Voices Of Autism. Daniel Tammet, Blaze Ginsberg, Temple Grandin
16 – The Whole Spectrum, by ????
19 – Colors of a Lost Empire,
22 – Muserology: Into the Arctic, Theora Tiffney
28 – The Dangerous Journey of the Monarch, by Peter Lauren
30 – Forgotten Heroes, by Chris Yang and Brian McMullen
36 – Muse Mail, part 2.
38 – Contest: Thinking in Pictures
40 – Last Page: Plain as the Nose on Your Face.


February 2010

0 (Cover) – Meet the New Addition to Our Family
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company
7 – Q& A, by Robert Coontz
Brown eyes can see better in the light, and blue eyes can see better in the dark. Why is that? Why do people lose teeth?
8 – Introducing Ardi, by Ann Gibbons
14 – Introducing PETMAN, by… ….?
16 – Marathon Man, by Christopher McDougall
24 – Whose Shoes? a MUSE quiz
26 – The Empathetic Ape, by Frans de Waal
34 – Muserology: Be it ever so Humble, There’s No Place like Home, by Kathleen A. Gros
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest
40 -Last Page: Walking Among Giants


March 2010:

0 (Cover) – Spy Secrets
1 – Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Kokopelli and Company
7 – Q& A, by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley
Why does peppermint make your mouth feel cold, and spicy things hot? Why were cats originally domesticated?
8 – Decoding the Number Stations, by Virginia Edwards
13 — What Is It Like to Be a Dog? by Alexandra Horowitz
20 — Muserology: A Week of Humble Pie by Naomi Rafal
22 — Writing on the Wall by Meg Moss
26 – The Case of the Bad Blood by Maryn McKenna
34 — Get Out of Jail Free by Brian McMahon
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest
40 — Last Page: United States Frequency Allocations


April 2010

0(cover)- Will This Volcano Help Save the Earth?
1- Dear Muse Reader, by Nancy Kangas
4- Bo’s Page
6-Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
7- Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley
8- The Big Fix by Cynthia Graber
16- Nuclear Cockroaches and exploding Mosquitoes by May R. Berenbaum
22- Muserology: Genre Swap by Kaeli R.
24- How to Mail a Whale by Virginia Edwards
27- The Nature Fakers
31- The Motor City goes Back to Nature- photos by James D. Griffioen
36- Muse Mail
38- Muse Contest
40- Last Page: Country Monkey, City Monkey


May/June 2010:

1: Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4: Bo’s Page
6: Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
7: Q&A by Robert J. Coontz: How would an electromagnetic pulse–say, from a nuclear detonator–work in a magnetosphere stronger than Earth’s-say, Jupiter’s?
8: The Known World by Carol Kaesuk Yoon
16: Whatchamacallits by Danny Danziger and Mark McCrum
19: Carl Woese and the Three Flavors of Life by Debra Aronson
24: Muserology: Going Hungry by Kaitlin Fellows
26: Muse Mini-Myth: Great Spirit Names the Animal People by Virginia Edwards
30: What’s in a Name by Nicholas Christenfield and Britta Larsen
36: Muse Mail
38: Muse Contest: Whatchamacallit?
40: Last Page: A Signature Work


July/August 2010:
1: Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4: Bo’s Page
6: Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
7: Q& A by Robert J. Coontz and Rebecca Lasley: How come my dog barks only at my mother’s sneezes, no matter how slight, while not reacting to any of my HUGE ones? and Are all ladybugs female?
8: How Corn Conquered America by Michael Pollan
16: What We’re Hungry For an interview with Rick Bayless
22: Insects That Are Good to Eat by Vincent M Holt
24: Muserology: Growing Season by Emily Polson
26: Happy Go Clucky: A Hen’s Blog by Meg Moss
36: Muse Mail
38: Muse Contest: Food Face
40: Last Page: Minding Our Beeswax


September 2010:
1: Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4: Bo’s Page
6: Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
7: Q&A by Robert J. Coontz and Rebecca Lasley: Do crocodiles have tear ducts? What are “crocodile tears?” and Why does watching a 3-D moive with glasses make your eyes hurt for a while?
8: The Explorer Who Didn’t by Anthony Brandt
15 The Original Cat-and-Paste with commentary by Lewis Carroll
18: News That Would Change the World bySeth Dhostak
24: Muserology: Weathering the Storm by Anna Whitmoore
26: Your Inner Neanderthal by Meg Moss
28: Chocolate Town, USA by Joel Glenn Brenner
36: Muse Mail
38: Muse Contest: Cut-And-Paste
40: Last Page: It’s a (Really) Small World


October 2010:
1: Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4: Bo’s Page
6: Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
7: Q&A by Robert J. Coontz and Rebecca Lasley: When I touch something hot, why does it take a few seconds for my finger to hurt? Wouldn’t I move my hand faster and have a smaller burn if it hurt right away?
8: Superbug by Maryn McKenna
16: The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan (there’s actually a tilde over the n, but I can’t make one on this computer.
22: Muserology: Measuring the Sun by Kameryn Talley
24: Two Spooky (and True) Tales by Alan Bellows
31: Citizens of the Deep
34 Ghost Hunting 101 by Mac King
36: Muse Mail
38: Muse Contest: Roses are red, cyanobacteria are blue.
40: Last Page: Making the Cut


November December 2010

0-SOS/Are you Doomed/Foraging Shakespeare?
1-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bob’s Page
6-Kokpelli and Copany by Larry Gonick
7-Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley: Is it possibly to wear out a CD? If so, how many times can it be played until it wears out? and Do we sneeze in our sleep?
8-Saving Our Sea Turtles (SOS) by Elizebeth Preston
16-Roads Tempoarily Closed (6 Cautionary Life Lessons from a Former Truck Driver)
19-Are Short People Doomed? By John Schwarts
26-Muserology: Discovery Flight by Isabel Cleff
28-Fakerspeare by Doug Stewart
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Make Your Own Muse Cover
40-Last page: Spill Slicks Sunken Ship?


January 2011
0-The Road to Mars
2-Kokopelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Q&A by Rebecca Lasley: How do we sleep? What causes us to sleep for so long? How come you can’t dream about what you want to? Why are dreams so hard to remember?
7-To Mars or Not? by Ray Jayawardhana
13-The Flying Machine
16-Space Sick by Mary Roach
22-The Most Unearthly Creatures by H.G. Wells
26-Muserology: Fingerless Gloves Will Get You Everywhere by KaiYves
28-Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone
35-Muse Contest:Alien Ambassador
38-Muse Mail
40-Last Page:The Man From Mars


Febuary 2011
0-Counting Sheep (You’re Doing it Wrong)
2-Kokopelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kanhas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley: Are we born right-haned or left-handed, or do we develop a prefrence over time?
7-Easy as Yan, Tan, Tethera by Alex Bellos
15-Muse Classic Math Page: Nature’s Numbers by Ivars Peterson
16-A Mathmatical Perspective by Cynthia Graber
20-Muse Classic Math Page:Eye Reflections by Ivars Peterson
21-Hex by Ian Stewart
26-Muse Classic Math Page: Monopoly Cheat Sheet by Ivars Peterson
28-Muserology: Forty-Four Fish by Elanor Jorgensen
30-When Numbers Lie by Charles Seife
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Tangrams
40-Last Page: This Art Is Deep


March 2011
0-Digging for Treasure/Putting it Back
2-Kokopelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Q&A by Robert Coontz: Why do you park on a driveway but drive on a parkway? and How much gravity do humans have? In a place with no other gravitational forces, would you be able to see, say, a dust speck move toward you?
7-The Battle of the Bones by Andrew Lawler
14-Finders Keppers? by Craig Childs
18-Muserology: Model Delegates by Matthew Moreno
20-Whale Hunt by Karen Romano Young
27-The Dirt on Digging by Elizebeth Preston
32-Monotype by Beatrice Tanaka
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: M is for Muse
40-Last Page: Ancient Amber Tells a Tale


April 2011
0-Don’t Beleive Your Brain
2-Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Q&A by Rober Coontz: What are stars made of? and What is the velocity of a flying sparrow burdened by an (extremely small) coconut?
7-Mind Over Magic by Stephen L. Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde, and Sandra Blakeslee
15- The Everwhites by Virgina Edwards
19-Gold’s Fools by Sam Kean
26-Muserology: Showtime by Tara Joy
28-How to Build Pinwheels by Clive Dobson
32-Save the Ugly Animals by Rose Eveleth
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: From Sandwhiches to Sculpture
40-Last Page: More Than the Sum of Her Parts


May/June 2011

0-How we Connect
2-Kokpelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-From Six Degrees to Facebook by Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler
13-Q&A by Rober Coontz: I always thought it was impossable to thunder and lightning during snowstorms. We just had a huge snowstorm and there was thunder and lightning. Why is that? and I heard that dogs aren’t allowed in Antartica. Why?
14-Carl Fisher’s Roads by Earl Swift
22-What’s ina Wordle? by Elizabeth Preston
24-The Explorer Who drew Connections by Val Ross
29-Muserology: A long Walk for a Superior Sunset by Dylan McBride
31-World Veiws
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Your Wordle
40-Last Page: The United Shapes of America


July/August 2011

0-Decisions, Descisions
2-Kokpelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Jepordy Machine by Stephen Baker
13-Extremely Reusuable Bags
14-Paper Nor Plastic by Susan Freinkel
20-Portraits of a Deadly Diet by Tori Tellfer
22-Q&A by Robert Coontz: Wha wouldhappen if everybody in the world jumped into the air at the same time? With all that mass suddenly off the world, would it go spinning out of orbit, or what? and Will time and space ever cease to exist?
23-The Mistress of the House by Mrs.Isabella Beeton
26-Muserology:Everything We Had by Isa Q.
28-Making a Life-or-Death Decision:Your Brain Can Help by Jonah Lehrer
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Plastic With A Purpose
40-Last Page: Lord of the Folds


September 2011

0-Pigeons Get Fancy For Fall
2-Kokpelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Race to Home by Courtney Humphries
13-Q&A by Robert Coontz: Why is the alphabet in A-B-C order? and If it’s so dark at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean that most of the animals are completely white, why do they still have eyes? Why didn’t they evolve away like with cave fish?
14-Find Your Way by Caitlyn Crites
16-(Un)True Nature by Chris Palmer
23-The Faces of Climate Change
27-Muserology:Break a Leg by Mia Lalanne
29-Darwin’s Pigeons by Courtney Humphries
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Go Wild
40-Last Page: Outside In


October 2011
0-Houndini’s Ghost Hunt
2-Kokopelli&Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Ghosts and Gumshoes by Doug Stewart
13-Q&A by Robert Coontz and Rebecca Lasley:On movie sets, there’s always a boom microphone recording, even when the actors are just exchanging silent glances or the director is telling them what to do. Why do they record everything? and Why do we capitalize I in the middle of a sentance?
14-Muserology:The Great Jell-O Caper by Emily Jusuf and Emily Nishiwaki
16-Swapping Sense by David Eagleman
20-Muse Mini Myth:The Death of Balder by Virgina Edwards
24-Bad News Bugs by Amy Stewart
30-The Science of Screeh by Joe Palca and Flora Lichman
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest:Fast and Frightening Fiction
40-Last Page:Flies on the Wall


November/December 2011

0-Special Delivery
2-Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Raeder by Nacy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Best Fruit Yiou’ve Never Eaten by Cynthia Gaber
12-The man Who Mailed Himself by John Tingey
18-Muserology:Surving Burning Man by Tallulah Pellisser Lloyd
20-Containers Overboard by Meg Moss
24-Q&A by Robert Coontz:How can people still breath in the winter in area with hardly any evergreens and in the desert with no plants? and Why is the sun hot? Mom says it’s on fire, but fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen. Space doesn’t have oxygen!
25-Secret Writing Class With the CIA
29-The Meteorite Hunters by Ray Jayawardhana
35-Muse Contest: Send Us A Postcard
36-Muse Mail
40-Last Page: You Can Reach Me by Sea-Mail


January 2012
0-Why Games Make Us Happy
2-Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-Hacking Happiness by Jane McGonigal
13-Q&A by Robert Coontz: What keeps the planets from falling from outer space? and During the Revolutionary War, why didn’t men on either side wear protective armor in battle? Or did they?
14-Frozen Walrus Carcass and Other Pastimes by Adam Jacot de Boinod
18-Muserology: How David Levy (Almost) Ate My Birthday Cake by Holly Ayles
20-Comic Sans Guy by Simon Garfield
26-A Kitchen Avalanche by Sean Connolly
30-A Brief History of Carrots by Rebecca Rupp
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: What’s Your Type?
40-Last Page: Naughty or Nice? Roll the Dice


February 2012
0 – Whale Bones Make Great Homes
2 – Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick: Chad dives to the seafloor in search of peace and quiet
3 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas: Motivational Posters for Fossils
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – Living in the Dark, by Cheryl Bardoe
13 – Make a Faster Fossil, by Sean Connolly
16 – Q&A, by Robert Coontz: Why do organisms have a will to survive? Do animals feel emotions?
17 – The Art of Note Taking, by Jenny Keller, Bernd Heinrich, Jonathan Kingdon, and George B. Schaller
24 – Muserology: A New Adventure Every Day (with Hat), by Ryan B.
26 – The Greatest Lost Books, by Megan Gambino (art by Nancy Kangas)
29 – Sea Serpent Scandal, by Brian Switek
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Sloppy Paleontology
40 – Last Page: A Prehistoric Puzzle, by Meg Moss


March 2012
0-The Higgs Hunters
2-Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick
3-Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Higgs Hunters by Elizabeth Preston
12-How to Shrink a Wasp by Ed Yong
14-Small Wonders
19-The Answer in the Sand by Gary Greenberg
23-The Oceans’ Invisible Crowd by Ellen Prager
30-Muserology: My Weekend with Royalty by Alicia H.
32-Pocket Muses
35-Q&A by Robert Coontz: I’ve read that after the Big Bang, particles crashing into each other created larger particles, pebbles, and eventually rocks, stars, and planets. If someone built a time-traveling spaceship, how far back could it go without being ripped apart by the dust and rocks? and Why did ancient Egyptians worship cats over dogs?
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest: Write Your Autobiography in Six Words
40-Last Page: Miraculous Miniatures


April 2012
0 – Fooling Our Senses
2 – Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick: Koko welcomes Feather to his new restaurant.
3 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas: Deadly Fads (We Hope Don’t Catch On)
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – The Hue of Death, by James C. Whorton
13 – Q&A, by Robert Coontz: How do babies think without language? Can reptiles warm up by moving around?
14 – How Spiffy Is Your Sniffer? A Muse Scratch-and-Sniff Quiz
16 – The Food Fixers, by Melody M. Bomgardner
25 – A Tale of Two Violins, by Virginia Edwards
28 – Built-in Bias, by Brooke Gladstone; art by Josh Neufeld
34 – Muserology: A Trip to Garmisch, by Caileigh Lydon
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: Dangerous Fads
40 – Last Page: Winging It, by Meg Moss


May/June 2012
0 – Paradise Lost?
2 – Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick: Kokopelli leads a boat tour of lost worlds
3 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas: Awesomeness vs. Distance
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – The Lost Paradise of Lemuria, by Doug Stewart
13 – Bookscapes, by Victoria Johnson
18 – Designing the Future, by Elizabeth Preston
24 – Q&A, by Robert Coontz: Why do different people like different foods? Is sugar high really a placebo? [The “sugar high” question was also answered in January 2004.]
25 – Where Astronauts Fake It, by Virginia Edwards
28 – Classic Muserology: The Play’s the Thing, by Hannah Weverka [repeated from January 2009]
30 – What Were Neandertals Like? by Thomas Wynn and Frederick L. Coolidge
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: What’s Next?
40 – Last Page: The Future Is Now, by Meg Moss


July/August 2012
0 – Chasing Perfection
2 – Kokopelli & Company by Larry Gonick: Chad helps Pwt run faster.
3 – Dear Muse Reader by Nancy Kangas: The Greatest Olympic Losers
4 – Bo’s Page
6 – The Perfect Mile, by John Brenkus
13 – Q&A, by Robert Coontz: Why do we cry? What did Shakespeare sound like, and how do we know?
14 – Prince Pelops and the Olympic Games: A Muse Mini-Myth, by Virginia Edwards; art by Kathleen Marcotte
18 – Video Games Do a Body Good, by Colin Schultz
20 – Spitball Science: The Physics of Cheating at Baseball, by Jim Kaat
27 – The Marvelous Antikythera Machine, by Meg Moss
31 – Muserology: Sixty Feet High, by Katie G.
33 – Sporting in Skirts
36 – Muse Mail
38 – Muse Contest: At-Home Olympiad
40 – Last Page: Dead Flies Make Good Sports, by Tori Telfer


[[GAP]]


November/December 2013
0-Life That Lights Up/Watercolor Robot Goes to Washington/Making Outer Space Less Black and White
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Light Brigade
12-THE SUPER-AWESOME MAKER
16-Q&A
17-COLOR COMMENTARY
20-YOUR BRAIN ON BLUE
26-Ocean Watch
28-PAINTING THE UNIVERSE
31-Life in the Clear
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-Paintbrushes with Legs


January 2014
0-Who Killed This Dinosaur?/Harry Potter and the Secret Novelist/How to Catch Criminals at Home
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-CRIME SCENE: CRETACEOUS
13-The Day My Cat Went Home
18-THE CASE OF THE CUCKOO’S CALLING
22-DINNER THEATER
26-A CAMEL, ME, AND THE DUNES OF ERG CHEBBI
28-FORENSICS FOR EVERYONE
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-Spilled Ink


February 2014
0-Seeking the Sasquach/Capturing Interstellar Messengers/Are You an Ahool?
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-THE BIRTH OF BIGFOOT
13-RETURN OF THE TREE LOBSTERS
17-ICE FISHING WITH PHYSICISTS
24-What Cryptid Are You?
26-THE BIG GREEN MONSTER
28-Q&A
29-TAILING THE TAPIR
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-Cryptic Anatomy


March 2014
0-Getting to Grandma’s House/Making a Speectacle/Why Do iForget What I eRead?
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-How the World Got Glasses
11-Famous Frames
14-International Sign Language
18-Hands-On Brain Science
20-FILE NOT FOUND?
24-Q&A
25-MY, WHAT A BIG FAMILY YOU HAVE!
29-THE MIGHTY MANICULE
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-HANDMADE FONTS


April 2014
0-Let’s Build an Elevator to Space!/If That Doesn’t Work, We’ll Take a Balloon/Watch Out for Comets, Though
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-BUILDING AN ELEVATOR TO SPACE
11-SPIDERS IN FLIGHT
14-Q&A
15-SEARRCHING FOR SPACE ROCKS
22-BALLOONS ON A MISSION
26-Just Jump
28-PROJECT FU-GO
33-Flying Snakes
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-A FISH STORY TOLD BY BALLOONS


May/June 2014
0-Warp Travel for Real?/Look Before You Leap (to Conclusions)/Psst! Your Phone’s Telling Everyone Where You Are
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-THE WARP FACTOR
12-TRANSPLANT
17-Q&A
18-WHEN NUMBERS FOOL US
24-Are We There Yet?
26-SURFING THE BORE
28-CHecKinG In
36-Muse Mail
38-Contest
Last Page-STRING THEORY


July/August 2014
0-Exploring the Dark Side of a Glacier/The Animal Kingdom’s Criminal Underworld/World’s Cutest Underbellies
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Frozen Underworld
13-THE NOBEL PRIZE’S NOT-SO-NOBLE SIDE
17-Q&A Why are the skins of witches in kids’ stories supposedly green? Why not pink or yellow?
18-Forecast: Sunny Underground
20-Par Sublime
22-Anemones on Ice
25-Lemur Bellies You Should Know
29-WHEN ANIMALS STEA
36-Muse Mail
38-MUSE CONTEST
Last Page-Oh, Heck


September 2014
0-Clowns on a Plane/When Our Brains Play Tricks/Putting the “Ha” in “Champion”
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-Clowning Around The Amazon
13-Q&A
14-Been There, Done That
19-A Whale of a Text Message
21-How To be a Champion Laughlete
26-Inside the Tactile Dome
28-The 10 Least Funny Things about Laughing Hyenas
30-Quit Paying Attention
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest
Last Page-Yes, This Is My Real Nose


October 2014
0-Things That Go oooOOOooo/Things That Go AHHHH/Things That Go BOOM!!
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-The Fright Stuff
12-Q&A
13-The Mystery Of The Mummy’s Face
17-The Most Famous Scream
18-The Worst Storm
20-Life In Middle Earth
24-Hot on the Lava Trail
31-How to Spot a Liar
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest
Last Page-The Phantom Menace


[[GAP]]


July/August 2015
0-Is a Zombie Virus Coming?/Will washing your hands help?/Could your dog help?
2-Kokopelli & Company
3-Dear Muse Reader
4-Bo’s Page
6-Zombie Virus: Fact or Fiction?
10-Super Sniffers
12-The Godfather of Handwashing
14-One Dreadful Record
20-How Much Can a Marsupial Bear?
22-The Case of “Something I Ate”
26-Q&A
27-In 140 Characters Or Less
30-Yellow Fever, Blue Death
33-Ranking Pages
34-Science @ Work
36-Muse Mail
38-Muse Contest
Last Page-How Truthy Is Social Media?


Comments RSS TrackBack 63 comments

Leave a comment