PHYSICS30 Is Space Digital? A team of scientists with a cheap setup are trying to do an end run around Big Physics to discover the true nature of information, matter and space. By Michael MoyerMEDICINE38 The Great Prostate Cancer Debate Evidence shows that screening does more harm than good. Now what? By Marc B. GarnickENVIRONMENT44 Swept from Africa to the Amazon The journey of a handful of dust speaks volumes about our fragile planet. By Jeffrey BartholetPUBLIC HEALTH50 Sleeping with the Enemy Can science halt the march of the bed bugs? By Kenneth F. HaynesCITIZEN SCIENCE56 All Hands on Deck Volunteers are combing through the logbooks of World War I–era ships to help researchers fill holes in the earth’s climate record. By Kalee ThompsonSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE60 The Future of Chocolate Researchers are racing to fortify the embattled cacao tree to meet the world’s insatiable demand for chocolate and to protect the livelihoods of cacao farmers. By Harold Schmitz and Howard-Yana ShapiroBRAIN SCIENCE66 The Collision Syndrome Football players diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease may suffer from the effect of repeated blows to the head. By Jeffrey BartholetANATOMY72 Fetal Armor The placenta does more than nourish offspring in the womb—it actively shapes brain development. By Claudia KalbBIOENGINEERING74 The Brittle Star’s Apprentice To find exotic new materials with sought-after properties, chemist Joanna Aizenberg looks to odd sea creatures such as brittle stars and sponges. Interview by Gareth Cook