Knowing some details about our upcoming issues can make it easier for teachers to make their lesson plans. We will post information as soon as we are alerted by our editorial staff. However, because the field of science changes so rapidly, we reserve the right to change topics and content whenever appropriate -- and we'll post the changes here.

A popcorn cruncher; a grinding, cell phone ring; a mosquito that won't stop buzzing! What's your pet peeve? Why do we have the emotion of annoyance anyway? A look at the psychology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and neuroscience of annoyance. Does it have a purpose? Emergency alarms/detectors - safety annoyances and how they work. Repetition (overload). (Query deadline, 6/30/2011)

Why do we love sweet? Sugar, taste, craving, natural and unnatural sweeteners. From the gut to the brain, researchers at Monell Chemical Senses Center have found that tasting sweet is more complicated than previously thought. Do animals love sweet? When does salt/sour = sweet? What is miracle fruit? (Query deadline, 7/15/2011)

Will focus on the science of extreme weather and the technology that helps us forecast it, with complementing issues the same month from Calliope, Faces, Dig, Appleseeds, and Cobblestone. (Query deadline, 8/15/2011)

On the 100thanniversary of the Titanic disaster, we'll look at what happens when technology reaches too far too soon, and at when it risks everything and wins. How is acceptable risk and the possibility of success or disaster determined? (The nuclear disaster in Japan, the possibilities and risks of artificial life (synthetic biology), geoengineering a cooler Earth, and more.) To include a profile/interview with scientist/filmmaker James Cameron. (Query deadline, 9/30/11)

Rare animal "super-dads," these tiny "horses" have migrated to all corners of the world, despite minimal locomotion abilities. They change color almost magically, have captivated humans for thousands of years, and were kept in the world's first aquariums. A look at the biology, ecology, biogeography, archaeology, myth and reality of these tiny "horses." (Query deadline, 11/17/2011)

Biomechanics, the science that combines biology and physics, helps Olympic athletes twist, turn, and soar six stories through the air in perfect performances. Years of preparation and high-tech equipment certainly matter, but Isaac Newton keeps it all honest. Great biology and psychology help too. (Query deadline, 1/16/2012)

According to neuroscientist David Eagleman (Baylor Medical School Laboratory for Perception and Action), brains don't track time; they actively construct it. That's why time slows down in high-adrenaline situations, and why time speeds up during a test. This issue will look at how living things - people, animals, and plants - perceive time. Including an interview with Eagleman about his strange SCAD experiment and other inventive ways he studies the brain. (Query deadline, 3/15/2012)

Statistics and the truth? A perfect poll? Naming a winner before the vote is in. Focus groups. How do those machines work? What can facial recognition tell us about a candidate? Connectivity and votes. The psychology ("bandwagon effect," "underdog effect," and more) and biology (liberalism/conservatism in your genes?) of choosing a presidential winner. (Query deadline, 4/16/2012)

Although humans can target objects in distant space and travel to them, the same humans can get lost in a parking lot. How does our spacial brain work? How can we live in electronic spaces? What are mental maps. Gyroscopes and other navigational tools. Migrations. (Query deadline, 5/15/2012)