FEATURES

       COVER STORY

           Viruses: The ugly, the bad, and the good

Some of these biological agents are being recruited to combat bacterial infections.

by paul e. Turner

           the stuff of life

Our historical, ambivalent relationship with fat

By christopher e. forth            

           moonlight flyers

Some squirrels do more than passively glide.

story and photographs By alexander badayev

           the size of the board

Life as we know it won’t suddenly end, but it will be crimped.

By bill mckibben     

 DEPARTMENTS

             THE NATURAL MOMENT

              Flaps Up

              Photograph by Lucas Bustamante

             WORD EXCHANGE

             SAMPLINGS         

           NATURALIST AT LARGE

              Ichneumon Identity

              Bernd Heinrich

           FIELD NOTES

              The Venus Flytrap: Subsistence

or Trophy Hunter?

              James O. Luken

           THIS LAND

              Acadia's Isle au Haut

              Robert H. Mohlenbrock

           SKYLOG

              The Carnivores' Corner

              Joe Rao

           BOOKSHELF

              Laurence A. Marschall

           ENDPAPER

              Ferns and Flowers in the Lands Down Under

              Edward Kanze