May 2008
Scientific American Magazine

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

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

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

Do-It-Yourself

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

Fluoridation; Solar Power; Congress and Science

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

Veiled Self; Wright Secrecy; Cotton Revolt

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

More Pioneer Anomalies; Black Hole Labs; Hair-Raising Work; Tuna Triumph

Taking Genomes Personally; May 2008; by Sally Lehrman; 2 Page(s)

Doubts about whether commercial DNA scans improve health

When I'm Sixty-Four; May 2008; by Peter Brown; 2 Page(s)

For many baby boomers, recreational drugs continue as a way of life

Copy That; May 2008; by Charles Q. Choi; 2 Page(s)

Identical twins are not genetically identical

Following the Money; May 2008; by Adam Hinterthuer; 2 Page(s)

To find new homes, invasive fish look for a good GDP

Finding Fossils Faster; May 2008; by Fredric Heeren; 2 Page(s)

Good-bye, field seasons? A push to year-round collecting

Naps for Better Recall; May 2008; by John Whitfield; 1 Page(s)

Even a six-minute snooze boosts memory

Down to the Wire; May 2008; by Wendy M. Grossman; 2 Page(s)

A Grammy Award for restoring music through electrical hum

News Scan Briefs; May 2008; by Graham P. Collins, JR Minkel, Charles Q. Choi, Nikhil Swaminathan,; 2 Page(s)

Preparing for Doomsday; Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008; Self-Healing Rubber; Split Defense; Smokestack Soak-Up; Do You See What I See?

SciAm Perspectives: Taking Heed; May 2008; by the Editors; 1 Page(s)

The next U.S. president needs to elevate the role of the White House science adviser

Sustainable Developments: The African Green Revolution; May 2008; by Jeffrey D. Sachs; 1 Page(s)

The continent is overdue for an agricultural boon like the one that lifted Asia's prospects

Forum: The Mad Scientist Myth; May 2008; by Mark Alpert; 1 Page(s)

Readers need more novels about real science

Skeptic: A New Phrenology?; May 2008; by Michael Shermer; 2 Page(s)

Metaphors, modules and brain-scan pseudoscience

Anti Gravity: Are You Buying This?; May 2008; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Catalogues provide the weary traveler with hi-tech gizmos galore

The Genesis of Planets; May 2008; by Douglas N. C. Lin; 10 Page(s)

Theorists long imagined that the formation of young solar systems was a serene process with a stately progression, in which the eventual appearance of planets was a foregone conclusion. The latest evidence, however--including observations of worlds circling other stars--argues that planet formation is startlingly chaotic

Regulating Evolution; May 2008; by Sean B. Carroll, Benjamin Prud'homme and Nicolas Gompel; 8 Page(s)

Most animals share similar genes. The staggering diversity in their physical forms springs from switches in the DNA that govern where and when those genes are active

Science 2.0; May 2008; by M. Mitchell Waldrop; 6 Page(s)

Is posting raw experimental data online, for all to see, a great tool or a great risk?

How Cells Clean House; May 2008; by Vojo Deretic and Daniel J. Klionsky; 8 Page(s)

Autophagy, a process that normally keeps cells in good working order, seems to be linked to aging and diseases such as Alzheimer's

Hooked from the First Cigarette; May 2008; by Joseph R. DiFranza; 6 Page(s)

Cigarette addiction can arise astonishingly fast. New research could help make quitting easier

Rethinking Nuclear Fuel Recycling; May 2008; by Frank N. von Hippel; 6 Page(s)

Plans are afoot to reuse spent reactor fuel in the U.S. But the advantages of the scheme pale in comparison with its dangers

Fighting Killer Worms; May 2008; by Patrick Skelly; 6 Page(s)

Bloodsucking worms called schistosomes are among the world's most worrisome human parasites. A new genome sequence and powerful genetic tools promise to help crack their secrets

Insights: Dark Forces at Work; May 2008; by David Appell; 2 Page(s)

The universe will expand forever at an ever faster rate, thanks to an unseen energy. Astronomer Saul Perlmutter expects that new observations will soon illuminate the universe's dark side

Working Knowledge: Living Cover; May 2008; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Green roofs

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

Animated dimensions. Desperate contentment. Crucial numbers

Ask the Experts; May 2008; by David Grier, Susan Trumbore; 1 Page(s)

Why does my cell phone screech near my computer? Why does CO₂ released in combustion outweigh the fuel burned?