COVER

When Life Exploded (Cover Story)

FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS, SIMPLE CREATURES LIKE PLANKTON, BACTERIA AND ALGAE RULED THE EARTH. THEN, SUDDENLY, LIFE GOT VERY COMPLICATED

NATION

A PLOT TO LIVEN UP THE RACE (Campaign '96)

SEVEN PROMINENT POLITICIANS HAVE BEEN SECRETLY PLANNING AN INDEPENDENT RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

TARGET: NEWT (Campaign '96)

THE UNPOPULAR SPEAKER IS GIVING DEMOCRATS HOPE

WORLD

A PERILOUS PEACE (Diplomacy)

THE KILLING HAS FINALLY STOPPED, BUT NOW COMES THE HARD PART.CAN BITTER ENEMIES FORGET THE WRONGS THEY HAVE DONE TO ONE ANOTHER AND LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER?

REBELS WITHOUT A PAUSE (Chechnya)

BOMB BLASTS, MORE FIGHTING AND TERRORIST THREATS SIGNAL THE BREAKDOWN OF A FOUR-MONTH-OLD TRUCE

ROTTEN SAFETY NET (Israel)

WHY DID AN ALLEGED SECRET-SERVICE MOLE FAIL TO REPORT AN EXTREMIST'S THREATS TO KILL YITZHAK RABIN?

HEALTH & MEDICINE

KNOWING WHEN TO STOP (Health)

DOCTORS GO TO HEROIC LENGTHS TO KEEP TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS ALIVE--OFTEN AGAINST THEIR WISHES

SOCIETY

RIPPED FROM THE WOMB (Crime)

A HORRENDOUS TRIPLE MURDER IN SUBURBAN CHICAGO FORCES AMERICANS TO PONDER THE DEPTHS OF EVIL

MONSTER MICE (Behavior)

SCIENTISTS BREED FEROCIOUS RODENTS THAT RAPE AND KILL

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

BUSINESS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FREE AS A BEATLE (The Arts & Media / SHOW BUSINESS)

THE NEW ALBUM PROVIDES AN OPEN MIKE INTO THE BIRTH OF ROCK'S GREATEST GROUP

SPORT: SHORT BUT SWEET PROGRAM (The Arts & Media / SPORT)

HIS EARLY DEATH PUTS A TRAGIC END TO THE FAIRY TALE OF ONE OF FIGURE SKATING'S GREATEST PAIRS--GORDEEVA AND GRINKOV

A REVENANT ON MY BACK (The Arts & Media / TECHNOLOGY)

EXPLORING THE DUBIOUS--AND ADDICTIVE--PLEASURES OF DOOM

MUSIC: THE LAST OF THE SHOWMEN (The Arts & Media / MUSIC)

PIANIST EARL WILD HARKS BACK TO THE GOLDEN AGE OF KEYBOARD VIRTUOSOS, AND AT 80 HE IS AS DAZZLING AS EVER

CINEMA: OUT WEST ON A BAD STAR TRIP (The Arts & Media / CINEMA)

WALTER HILL'S COWBOY EPIC SHUTS OUT THE PRAIRIE AND THE BIG SKY IN FAVOR OF DARKNESS, HYSTERIA AND CLAUSTROPHOBIA

CINEMA: BACK CHAT (The Arts & Media / CINEMA)

KICKING AND SCREAMING PUTS NEW LIFE INTO URBAN COMEDY

MUSIC: BORDER MUSIC (The Arts & Media / MUSIC)

IN A SPARE NEW ALBUM, BRUCE IS AT HIS BLEAKEST AND BEST