"Voices from the Stone Age"

Cover story: Without words, the great wealth of ideas could never have emerged let alone got out of people's heads and into the world. Language became the carrier rocket that rapidly propelled mankind to its dominant position on Earth. So it is no wonder that mankind has always puzzled over how it acquired language. When did primitive man learn to speak? Why didn't other primates manage to do so? How can robots be made to talk? Brain researchers, palaeoanthropologists and geneticists in search of the origins of language have made some remarkable discoveries.

"What is a 'What?'"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with linguist Derek Bickerton about the genesis of language through the struggle to survive in the savannah, the thoughts of cows, and the significance of grammar for intelligence:

"We have to ask ourselves: how did the environment of our forefathers differ from that of modern-day apes? Something in that environment must have driven the development of language. There must have been some factor X that made symbolic communication a crucial advantage in the struggle to survive. … I think the ecological change was the decisive factor. … The only members of the animal kingdom that have developed a system of symbolic communication are the bees. And they are wide-ranging collectors of food, just as our ancestors must have been. … Think of any animal, for example a cow. Here the influence of external stimuli predominates, to which it simply reacts. … It dozes away peacefully. Then it feels a fly land on its hide - and it will flick its tail to get rid of the fly. That is "life" for a cow, and nothing else. … When we speak of intelligence we are basically talking about the spin-offs of a single discovery: language. Once you are able to talk, you can also play music, do mathematics, draw representationally and do a whole range of other things."

"It Was a Battle"

SPIEGEL interview with Rudolf Augstein about the Spiegel Affair and its consequences:

"The longer I was in prison, the more optimistic I became. I knew of course that we had not committed treason and we hadn't bribed anyone. We really were innocent, at least in terms of these criminal charges. … No one was so hotly in pursuit of supreme power as Franz-Josef Strauß, he was like a steamroller, and no one blocked his own way so much either. During the Spiegel Affair, all his inferior qualities came to light. … The truth is that Strauß was the only person taking action at the time who could see and who knew that the article 'Limited Readiness for Defence' didn't contain any state secrets whatsoever. … There's no reason to regret the events that took place in 1962. The affair made us wiser, so we benefited by it."

"Stupidities of the State"

Contemporary history: Forty years ago the state powers invaded DER SPIEGEL's head office. Its publisher Rudolf Augstein and other alleged traitors to their country were imprisoned. When the facts of the scandal were brought to light, the then defence minister Franz-Josef Strauß was forced to resign - and the German Republic was democratised.

"Whose Turn Will It Be Next?"

SPIEGEL in-depth interview with King Abdullah II about the threat of a war against Iraq, the necessity for reviving the peace process in the Middle East, and the danger of terrorism by Islamic extremists:

"I believe there's no country in the Middle East or Europe which hasn't urged Iraq not to be so stubborn. It's probably going to be a very close thing, but peace does still have a chance. … The tone of the American decision-makers has also become more pliable. … Many of my fellow countrymen think: first the West brought the Palestinians into line, casting their claims onto the rubbish tip of history, and now it's settling the score with all those who have stood up against Israel and the United States. That's precisely why we are pointing out so clearly that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has to be got moving again. … The aim of creating a Palestinian state is widely accepted, also by President Bush. The Saudi Arabian peace initiative takes Israel's concerns into account. … The phenomenon [of Islamist terrorism] is not a problem between Christians and Muslims at all, but an internal Islamic problem. We have been fighting against these extremists for decades. Unfortunately the United States actually promoted these fundamentalists, especially during the Afghanistan conflict. In the Middle East, this ideological conflict will continue for another decade or two. But the main problem lurks in Asia, where Muslims don't speak Arabic and many tend to misunderstand the Koran."

"The Best Oil in the World"

Iraq: Baghdad has big plans for its energy reserves, Europeans and Russians are already concluding contracts. But they didn't reckoned with the Americans:

Defence of the Constitution: How Germany's domestic intelligence authorities secured the right to bug editorial offices after September 11, on the pretext of "fighting terrorism".

"Bleeding Eyes"

Narcotics: Ecstasy is not simply a harmless stamina-giving drug for Ravers. As a recent case in Munich shows, the alleged 'happiness pills' can apparently turn peaceful people into violent brutes. Contrary to the beliefs of most consumers, the purported happy-makers are not just toxic to the brain, but can transform quiet, peaceful people into veritable monsters - without any prior warning.

"It Got out of Hand"

Football: Interview with soccer coach Guus Hiddink about his successes with South Korea at the World Cup, the laws of nature when dealing with superstars, and his particular admiration for the club Bayern Munich:

"They have great respect for authorities as it is, presumably because of their Confucian upbringing. During the World Cup they were incredibly committed, totally dedicated. If I'd told them to climb a tree and stay up it for 24 hours, they'd have said: Fine, we'll do that. … There's a lot of transfiguring going on now. The fact that we made it to the semi-finals at the World Cup had to do with developing a certain momentum. The whole situation got totally out of hand, in a positive sense. … The way that a coach should handle the big stars, but basically all players, is to be honest and direct. Not showing any weakness, not giving in, not messing around. Otherwise the players will bite, that's one of the laws of nature. Stars in particular have a good nose for whether something is genuine and authentic. … The really big clubs like Bayern, Real Madrid or AC Milan have that extra something. Because of their history, these club are expected to comport themselves accordingly. People who play for them have to behave. Otherwise the team captain will come along and intervene correctively. I'm familiar with that kind of thing from Madrid. I like it."