April 2002
Scientific American Magazine

Digital subscribers-sign in for full access

Cover; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

SA Perspectives: The Peculiar Institution; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

The challenge of discussing slavery

How to Contact Us; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Letters to the Editors; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

50, 100 and 150 Million Years Ago; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Feets Don't Fail Me Now, Danger from Above, Bug Zapper

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Age of Antibiotics, Hollerith Number Cruncher, African Missionary

Has the Space Age Stalled?; April 2002; by Mark Alpert; 2 Page(s)

Rocket science proves harder than rocket scientists had thought

Looking at ART; April 2002; by Tabitha M. Powledge; 2 Page(s)

Is it time to scrutinize assisted reproduction?

Heads on Tails; April 2002; by Phil Scott; 2 Page(s)

Safety investigators try to find out if composites for aircraft are strong enough

Mind the Gap; April 2002; by Sergio Pistoi; 1 Page(s)

Is the U.S. starting to lose its edge in basic research?

Drink Your Shots; April 2002; by Brenda Goodman; 1 Page(s)

Getting rid of the sticking point in allergy therapy

Joke Hunter of Science; April 2002; by Steve Nadis; 1 Page(s)

Funnyman Marc Abrahams tackles an improbable role and an Ig Nobel cause

By the Numbers: Greenhouse Follies; April 2002; by Rodger Doyle; 1 Page(s)

Prosperity and fertility lie at the root of global warming, but no one agrees on the best fix

News Scan Briefs; April 2002; by Philip Yam, Alison McCook, JR Minkel; 2 Page(s)

In No Uncertain Terms; Gene Fiends?; Falling in Line; Early to Rise; Score One for Natural Selection; Breaking and Entering; Data Points: Fish Tales; www.sciam.com/news - Brief Bits

Innovations: It's Not Easy Being Green; April 2002; by Steven Ashley; 2 Page(s)

Developing environmentally safe products is one thing; marketing them is another matter entirely

Staking Claims: Tragedy of the Cyber Commons; April 2002; by Gary Stix; 1 Page(s)

A legal scholar issues a glum prognosis for future innovation on the Internet

Skeptic: Skepticism as a Virtue; April 2002; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

An inquiry into the original meaning of the word "skeptic"

Profile: Father of the Impossible Children; April 2002; by Sergio Pistoi; 2 Page(s)

Ignoring nearly universal opprobrium, Severino Antinori presses ahead with plans to clone a human being

Proteins Rule; April 2002; by Carol Ezzell; 8 Page(s)

Proteomics is biotech's "new new thing." Its enthusiasts are racing to catalogue the proteins in our bodies and to figure out how they network with one another. These efforts could lead to more and better drugs

Augmented Reality: A New Way of Seeing; April 2002; by Steven K. Feiner; 8 Page(s)

Computer scientists are developing systems that can enhance and enrich a user's view of the world

Parasitic Sex Puppeteers; April 2002; by Laurence D. Hurst and James P. Randerson; 6 Page(s)

By directing its victims' sex lives, the bacterial parasite Wolbachia may be helping to produce new species

Ripples in Spacetime; April 2002; by W. Wayt Gibbs; 10 Page(s)

Physicists have spent eight years and $365 million building a radically new kind of observatory to detect gravitational waves. But will it work? A trial run put it to the test

The Science of Bad Breath; April 2002; by Mel Rosenberg; 8 Page(s)

The age-old condition of bad breath is coming under new scientific scrutiny, leading to insights into diagnostic approaches and possible solutions

The Social Psychology of Modern Slavery; April 2002; by Kevin Bales, sidebar by George Musser; 9 Page(s)

Contrary to conventional wisdom, slavery has not disappeared from the world. Social scientists are trying to explain its persistence

Reviews: "The World is Broad and Wide"; April 2002; by Peter Renz, Staff Editors; 2 Page(s)

An annotated edition of Flatland introduces the classic satire to a new generation of readers. Also, The Editors Recommend

Puzzling Adventures: A Fairy Tale; April 2002; by Dennis E. Shasha; 1 Page(s)

A tale of fairies and pearls

Working Knowledge: Grow, Then Kill; April 2002; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Lab tests

Technicalities: Bringing the Net to the Bedroom; April 2002; by W. Wayt Gibbs; 3 Page(s)

Even an amateur can create a custom-designed internet appliance

On the Web; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Anti Gravity: Copy That; April 2002; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Technology is making it harder for word thieves to earn outrageous fortunes

Ask the Experts; April 2002; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

What is antimatter?; Why does your stomach growl when you are hungry?

Fuzzy Logic; April 2002; by Roz Chast; 1 Page(s)

NASA Price List