March 2008
Scientific American Magazine

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

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

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

The past and the future can be equally hard to interpret

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

Environment and ALS -- The Genetic Code -- Vitamin D

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

Atomic Economics -- Hammondsport Flight Test -- Exactitude and Fashion

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

Hoyles Missing Equation -- Flu Sites -- Artificial Capillaries -- Stubborn Scores

Perilous Pursuit; March 2008; by Madhusree Mukerjee; 2 Page(s)

With missile defense, India turns the thumbscrews on unsettled Pakistan

Lovers, Not Fighters?; March 2008; by John Whitfield; 2 Page(s)

New genetic signs that modern humans mated with Homo erectus

Stirling in Deep Space; March 2008; by Mark Wolverton; 1 Page(s)

To cut back on radioisotope fuel, NASA goes back 200 years

Fiasco at Fermilab; March 2008; by Mark Alpert; 2 Page(s)

Last-minute budget cuts stun U.S. physicists

Here and There; March 2008; by JR Minkel; 2 Page(s)

Why quantum teleportation is nothing like getting beamed up by Scotty

Voyagers to the End; March 2008; by Christina Reed; 2 Page(s)

The solar system may be dented at the bottom

Eye-Opening Sex; March 2008; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Sight returns to cavefish blind for one million years

News Scan Briefs; March 2008; by JR Minkel, Charles Q. Choi, David Biello, Philip Yam; 2 Page(s)

SciAm Perspectives: Fishing Blues; March 2008; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

Without limits on industrial-scale catches, marine populations will continue to collapse

Sustainable Developments: Climate Change after Bali; March 2008; by Jeffrey D. Sachs; 2 Page(s)

Do the math: affordable new technologies can prevent global warming while fostering growth

Forum: NASA's Flimsy Argument for Nuclear Weapons; March 2008; by Thomas Graham, Jr., and Russell L. Schweickart; 3 Page(s)

Nukes will not be needed to guard against dangers from space

Skeptic: Adam's Maxim and Spinoza's Conjecture; March 2008; by Michael Shermer; 2 Page(s)

Belief, disbelief and uncertainty generate different neural pathways in the brain

Anti Gravity: Nothing to Sneeze At; March 2008; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

And other interesting results from researchers with some operating room

When Markets Beat the Polls; March 2008; by Gary Stix; 8 Page(s)

Internet-based financial markets may predict elections more reliably than polls do. They can augur future box-office returns and flu seasons, too.

The End of Cosmology?; March 2008; by Lawrence M. Krauss and Robert J. Scherrer; 8 Page(s)

"Will the big bang be forgotten? The accelerating cosmic expansion is wiping away every trace of the universes origin."

White Matter Matters; March 2008; by R. Douglas Fields; 8 Page(s)

Long regarded as passive support for cogitating neurons, the brains white matter shows that it actively affects learning and mental illness.

The Limits of Quantum Computers; March 2008; by Scott Aaronson; 8 Page(s)

Futuristic quantum computers could be exceptionally fast at certain tasks, but for most problems they would only modestly outclass todays conventional machines.

The Bluefin in Peril; March 2008; by Richard Ellis; 8 Page(s)

The only way to save the bluefin tuna, a marvelous but dwindling ocean fish, may be to domesticate it.

Space Wars; March 2008; by Theresa Hitchens; 8 Page(s)

Recent pronouncements and actions by the U.S. and China threaten to ignite a new arms race in space that would be contrary to everyones interests.

Solving the Massive Worker Health Puzzle; March 2008; by Carole Bass; 8 Page(s)

A sophisticated industrial health study--the largest one ever--struggles with an apparent cancer cluster and highlights why science cannot always protect workers on the job

Insights: Not Tonight, Dear, I Have to Reboot; March 2008; by Charles Q. Choi; 3 Page(s)

Is love and marriage with robots an institute you can disparage? Computing pioneer David Levy doesnt think sohe expects people to wed droids by midcentury. Is that a good thing?

Working Knowledge: The Switch Is On; March 2008; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

The switch is on to compact fluorescents.

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

"Shields Up!" -- The Whale Trial -- Antimatter

Ask the Experts; March 2008; by Jon Sege, Michael Schindlinger; 1 Page(s)

How can complex organs evolve from random mutations? Why do parrots have a gift for mimicry?

Fact or Fiction?; March 2008; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Do you need only half your brain?