X-rays of Buddha statue reveal mummy, and scientists plan to stop a killer asteroid

SUBSCRIBE DIGITAL | RENEW | GIFT Discover Newsletter:  02/26/2015 X-Rays of Buddhist Statue Reveal Mummy The 1,000-year-old Chinese statue contains the remains of a monk who may have undergone self-mummification.   DISCOVER BLOGS THE CRUX Infinity Is a Beautiful Concept – But It Doesn’t Exist Physicists have hit a dead end in understanding the world, and infinity is to blame.  MORE  |            VIDEO Incredible Bionic Hand Is Controlled By User’s Mind Three Austrian men are the first to undergo “bionic reconstruction,” with amazing results.  MORE  |            THE CRUX Mars One Finalist: “I Could Sow the Seeds of a New Civilization” A first-person account of what it’s like to be in the running for a trip to Mars.  MORE  |            LOVESICK CYBORG Oscar Nominees Hint at Virtual Reality’s Future Film studios have been experimenting with immersing users in virtual worlds.  MORE  |            D-BRIEF Genetically Modified Non-Browning Apples Are Approved in the U.S. So-called Arctic apples may start appearing in supermarkets within a few years.  MORE  |            THE CRUX Eye Tracking Is Coming Soon to a Computer Near You Soon appliances and video games will respond at the flick of an eye.  MORE  |              THIS MONTH IN DISCOVER MAGAZINE How to Stop a Killer Asteroid Steve Nadis When a civilization-ending space rock bears down on us, this nuclear option might just save our species.  MORE  |            The Quest to Resurrect Extinct Species Virginia Gewin A father-son duo of biologists has set the stage for so-called de-extinction. But should we be doing this at all?  MORE  |            Engineering New Organs Using Our Own Living Cells Steve Volk Inspired by the regenerative abilities of an amphibian, Anthony Atala is driven to save lives by rebuilding organs.  MORE  |            20 Things You Didn't Know About Nuclear Accidents Kristen Pope Nuclear meltdowns have both harmed and benefited wildlife in contamination zones.  MORE  |              RECENT PHOTO GALLERIES  The Human Body Under the Microscope  8 Discoveries Astronomers Didn’t Mean to Make  Snowflakes Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before