June 2012
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; June 2012; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; June 2012; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editor; June 2012; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

We the People

Letters; June 2012; by The Editors; 2 Page(s)

Letters to the editor from the February 2012 issue of Scientific American

Science Agenda: Protect Women's Health; June 2012; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

Political attacks on Planned Parenthood pose a threat to the well-being of millions of women in the U.S.

Forum: Slinking toward the Bomb; June 2012; by ÿGraham T. Allison; 1 Page(s)

How close is Iran to acquiring a nuclear weapon?

The Motherhood Gap; June 2012; by Melinda Wenner Moyer; 1 Page(s)

Family responsibilities, not discrimination, may explain why fewer women than men pursue tenure-track jobs in science

Fire and Water; June 2012; by John Matson; 1 Page(s)

Mercury shows new signs that it may harbor ice

What Is It?; June 2012; by Davide Castelvecchi; 1 Page(s)

Honeycomb lattice

Microbial Mule; June 2012; by Ferris Jabr; 1 Page(s)

Scientists are engineering bacteria to transport nanoparticles and drugs

Thar She Blows!; June 2012; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

New ways of modeling tremors that precede volcanic eruptions may help warn of impending disaster

Old Neurons, New Tricks; June 2012; by Meehan Crist; 1 Page(s)

Brain cells help us recall the past by taking on new roles as they age

When Cockroach Legs Dance; June 2012; by Rose Eveleth; 1 Page(s)

An educational entrepreneur talks about teaching neuroscience to high school students

Happy Birthday, Electron; June 2012; by Frank Wilczek; 1 Page(s)

Lorentz's electron theory of 1892 bridges classical and modern physics

The Case of the Traveling Salesman; June 2012; by William J. Cook; 1 Page(s)

A seemingly unsolvable problem offers a glimpse at the limits of computation

Primeval Precipitation; June 2012; by David Biello; 1 Page(s)

Scientists scan fossilized rain to learn about the atmosphere of early Earth

Go with the Flow; June 2012; by Sid Perkins; 1 Page(s)

A new app and Web site may make it easier to predict storm surges

It's Not "Like Growing Grass"; June 2012; by Rose Eveleth; 1 Page(s)

Progress may seem slow, but new treatments for hair loss are under way

Lice Don't Lie; June 2012; by Christie Wilcox; 1 Page(s)

Parasites give clues to lemurs' social lives

Beautiful Mutants; June 2012; by Ferris Jabr; 1 Page(s)

Researchers discover the genetic secret behind van Gogh's famous sunflowers

The Science of Health: The Scoop on Eating Dirt; June 2012; by Philip T. B. Starks, Brittany L. Slabach; 2 Page(s)

New findings suggest that ingesting soil is adaptive, not necessarily pathological

Technofiles: Down with Double Data Fees!; June 2012; by David Pogue; 1 Page(s)

And other proclamations that should be in a cell phone user's Bill of Rights

The Ultimate Social Network; June 2012; by Jennifer Ackerman; 8 Page(s)

Researchers who study the friendly bacteria that live inside all of us are starting to sort out who is in charge—microbes or people?

Super Supernovae; June 2012; by Avishay Gal-Yam; 6 Page(s)

The largest stars die in explosions more powerful than anyone thought possible—some triggered in part by the production of antimatter

The Human Brain Project; June 2012; by Henry Markram; 6 Page(s)

Building a vast digital simulation of the brain could transform neuroscience and medicine and reveal new ways of making more powerful computers

Fusion's Missing Pieces; June 2012; by Geoff Brumfiel; 6 Page(s)

On the road to unlimited energy, the world's most complex science experiment encounters a few potholes

Busy Bee; June 2012; by Rose Eveleth; 2 Page(s)

Orchid pollinators are surprisingly promiscuous about the plants they like

Waiting to Explode; June 2012; by Fred Guterl; 6 Page(s)

By concocting bird flu viruses that could potentially spread easily among humans, researchers have ignited a debate about the need for safety versus open inquiry

The Right Way to Get It Wrong; June 2012; by David Kaiser, Angela N. H. Creager; 6 Page(s)

Most errors are quickly forgotten. Others end up remaking the face of science

Life is a Shell Game; June 2012; by Ivan Chase; 4 Page(s)

Like people, hermit crabs and other animals trade up by treasuring what others leave behind

Resistance Fighter; June 2012; by Brendan Borrell; 4 Page(s)

Thumbi Ndung'u has moved from Africa to Massachusetts and back in a quest to halt the AIDS epidemic

Recommended; June 2012; by Anna Kuchment; 2 Page(s)

Books and recommendation from Scientific American

Skeptic: The Science of Righteousness; June 2012; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

Evolution helps to explain why parties are so tribal and politics so divisive

Anti-Gravity: Freaks and Tweaks; June 2012; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

When it comes to athletic performance, it's not how you start—it's how you Finnish

50, 100, 150 Years Ago; June 2012; by Daniel C. Schlenoff; 2 Page(s)

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in Scientific American

Graphic Science: Water In, Water Out; June 2012; by Mark Fischetti; 1 Page(s)

Much of the life-sustaining resource is traded across national borders