August 2008
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; August 2008; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; August 2008; by Staff Editor; 3 Page(s)

From the Editor; August 2008; by John Rennie; 1 Page(s)

Helping China

Letters; August 2008; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Doping in Sports -- Economics -- Plant Coloring

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; August 2008; by Daniel C. Schlenoff; 1 Page(s)

Ads Go Subliminal; Wrights Soar; Continents Connect

Updates; August 2008; by Philip Yam; 1 Page(s)

Genomic Exit; Mind-Controlled Limbs; Ad Hoc Networks; Isolated Peoples

Lighting Up the Lies; August 2008; by Gary Stix; 2 Page(s)

Will brain scans ever be able to tell if you're really being deceptive?

Change in the Air; August 2008; by Emily Harrison; 2 Page(s)

Banning CFC-driven inhalers could levy a toll on asthma sufferers

Didn't Hear It Coming; August 2008; by Sarah Simpson; 2 Page(s)

Must hybrid cars be louder to be safe for pedestrians?

Seeing Red; August 2008; by Philip Yam; 2 Page(s)

New close-ups of Mars, courtesy of Phoenix

The Puzzling Inferno; August 2008; by Keren Blankfeld Schultz; 2 Page(s)

When saving trees means less carbon storage

Bills of Health; August 2008; by Jessica Wapner; 1 Page(s)

In discussing treatments, cancer doctors plan to include cost

Sunny Days for Silicon; August 2008; by Steven Ashley; 2 Page(s)

Baby steps for making solar as cheap as coal power

News Scan Briefs; August 2008; by Nikhil Swaminathan, Charles Q. Choi, Keren Blankfeld Schultz, Philip Yam, JR Minkel; 2 Page(s)

Reconstructing the Very First Cell; DEET Beaters; Iron-Tough Paper; Hurricane Hubbub; Microbial Computing; Catching an Exploding Star; Artifical Corneas in Sight; Is That Your Final Offer?; Monogamy and the Queen Bee

SciAm Perspectives: We Can Do More; August 2008; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

The U.S. needs to expand support for agricultural science targeted at developing countries

Sustainable Developments: Millennium Goals at the Midpoint; August 2008; by Jeffrey D. Sachs; 1 Page(s)

Overdue investments from rich nations could still transform Africa by 2015

Skeptic: Wheatgrass Juice and Folk Medicine; August 2008; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

Why subjective anecdotes often trump objective data

Anti Gravity: Looking for a Sign; August 2008; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

The most accurate horoscope a science magazine could ever hope to publish

Facing the Freshwater Crisis; August 2008; by Peter Rogers; 8 Page(s)

As demand for freshwater soars, planetary supplies are becoming unpredictable. Existing technologies could avert a global water crisis, but they must be implemented soon

Why Migraines Strike; August 2008; by David W. Dodick and J. Jay Gargus; 8 Page(s)

Biologists finally are unraveling the medical mysteries of migraine, from aura to pain

Quantum Computing with Ions; August 2008; by Christopher R. Monroe and David J. Wineland; 8 Page(s)

Researchers are taking the first steps toward building ultrapowerful computers that use individual atoms to perform calculations

China's Children of Smoke; August 2008; by Dan Fagin; 8 Page(s)

Epidemiologists find molecular clues to air pollution's impact on youngsters

Bracing for a Solar Superstorm; August 2008; by Sten F. Odenwald and James L. Green; 8 Page(s)

A recurrence of the 1859 solar superstorm would be a cosmic Katrina, causing billions of dollars of damage to satellites, power grids and radio communications

Self-Cleaning Materials; August 2008; by Peter Forbes; 8 Page(s)

The lotus plant's magnificent ability to repel dirt has inspired a range of self-cleaning and antibacterial technologies that may also help control microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" devices

Magnifying Taste; August 2008; by Melinda Wenner; 4 Page(s)

Compounds that enhance the sweet and salty flavors of foods could combat obesity and heart disease

Insights: No More Cloning Around; August 2008; by Sally Lehrman; 2 Page(s)

Like many stem cell pioneers, Ian Wilmut, the creator of Dolly the sheep, has jumped to an alternative approach. Is this the beginning of the end for embryonic cloning?

Working Knowledge: Warming and Cooling; August 2008; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Home heat pumps

Reviews; August 2008; by Michelle Press; 1 Page(s)

A Briefer History of Time -- Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History -- The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom

Ask the Experts; August 2008; by Arthur Nienhuis, James BeMiller; 1 Page(s)

How does gene therapy work? Why does bread go stale?