October 1997
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; October 1997; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; October 1997; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From The Editors, including Masthead; October 1997; by Rennie; 1 Page(s)

The Way to Go

Letters To The Editors; October 1997; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; October 1997; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

In Focus: Growing a New Field; October 1997; by Stix; 2 Page(s)

Tissue engineering comes into its own

The Next Hop; October 1997; by Drollette; 1 Page(s)

Can wallabies replace the lab rat?

Field and Stream; October 1997; by Holloway; 2 Page(s)

A new way to identify the inhabitants of an ecosystem

In Brief; October 1997; by Leutwyler; 3 Page(s)

Hot Deals; No Joking, Mr. Feynman; Hey Diddley Ho, Neighbor; Monkeys Do, Scientists See; Fat Tax; "Immortality" Gene Revealed; Still Cloning Around; Sun Sweat

Gotta Know When to Fold 'Em; October 1997; by Nemecek; 2 Page(s)

A scientific wager reveals details about how proteins fold

Science In Court; October 1997; by Powell; 2 Page(s)

Reflections on science and truth in an asbestos trial

What are They Thinking?; October 1997; by Zacks; 1 Page(s)

Students' reasons for rejecting evolution go beyond the Bible

Matter Over Mind; October 1997; by Beardsley; 2 Page(s)

Do viruses cause severe mental illness?

Anti Gravity: He Shoots, He Scars; October 1997; by Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

The marathon known as the National Hockey League regular season is about to begin

By the Numbers: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; October 1997; by Doyle; 1 Page(s)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the term applied to several related conditions, of which the most serious are emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis.

Profile: Gombe's Famous Primate; October 1997; by Holloway; 2 Page(s)

Jane Goodall

Change in the Wind; October 1997; by Gibbs; 1 Page(s)

Utilities are starting to offer renewable energy - for a price

Heavy Metal Meets its Match; October 1997; by Gibbs; 2 Page(s)

Two new materials strip pollutants from toxic wastes

Charging to Market; October 1997; by Gibbs; 2 Page(s)

Supercapacitors are set to give batteries a jolt

A Sense of Synesthesia; October 1997; by Gibbs; 1 Page(s)

"You are coming into the CAVE," Rita Addison begins.

Cyber View; October 1997; by Grossman; 1 Page(s)

Master of Your Domain

Transportation's Perennial Problems; October 1997; by Gibbs; 4 Page(s)

The congestion, accidents and pollution that plague modern travel are hardly new. History and recent research suggest they may remain intractable for generations to come

The Past and Future of Global Mobility; October 1997; by Schafer, Victor; 4 Page(s)

With growing wealth, people everywhere travel farther and faster. That trend inevitably brings a shift in the dominant transportation technologies

13 Vehicles That Went Nowhere; October 1997; by Staff Editor; 4 Page(s)

Perhaps "nowhere" is too harsh. But all these transportation concepts - however brilliant or eccentric - fell far short of their enthusiasts' great hopes.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles; October 1997; by Wouk; 5 Page(s)

They will reduce pollution and conserve petroleum. But will people buy them, even if the vehicles have astounding fuel efficiency?

Flywheels in Hybrid Vehicles; October 1997; by Rosen, Castleman; 3 Page(s)

A rapidly spinning flywheel combines with a gas-turbine engine to power a novel hybrid electric vehicle

Automated Highways; October 1997; by Rillings; 6 Page(s)

Cars that drive themselves in tight formation might alleviate the congestion now plaguing urban freeways

Unjamming Traffic with Computers; October 1997; by Howard; 3 Page(s)

Insights gleaned from realistic simulations are already moving from computer screens to asphalt

Now That Travel Can Be Virtual, Will Congestion Virtually Disappear?; October 1997; by Mokhtarian; 1 Page(s)

The idea that telecommunications technology could substitute for travel dawned on people soon after the invention of the telephone.

Driving to Mach 1; October 1997; by Stix; 4 Page(s)

"Jetmobiles" try to go supersonic

Speed versus Need; October 1997; by Leutwyler; 2 Page(s)

Rugged mountain climbers, bamboo rigs built for two, three-speeds with banana seats-bicycles, in their many forms, exist the world over.

How High-Speed Trains Make Tracks; October 1997; by Raoul; 6 Page(s)

In Europe and Japan, train manufacturers are gearing up to achieve ultrafast speeds routinely, without relying on levitation

Fast Trains: Why the U.S. Lags; October 1997; by Perl, Dunn Jr.; 3 Page(s)

The reasons are more political than technological

Maglev: Racing to Oblivion?; October 1997; by Stix; 1 Page(s)

Two years ago the world's only magnetically levitated train in commercial service shut down.

Straight Up into the Blue; October 1997; by Mark; 6 Page(s)

Tiltrotors, which take off like a helicopter but fly like an airplane, will soon make their military debut. Can civilian applications be far behind?

The Lure of Icarus; October 1997; by Carlson; 4 Page(s)

With new designs and materials, human-powered fliers challenge the distance record

A Simpler Ride into Space; October 1997; by Mattingly; 6 Page(s)

Technological advances may allow rockets of the next century to operate much as aircraft do today. That change might cut the cost of reaching orbit by 10-fold

Faster Ships for the Future; October 1997; by Giles; 6 Page(s)

New designs for oceangoing freighters may soon double their speeds

Microsubs Go to Sea; October 1997; by Hawkes; 4 Page(s)

Small, maneuverable, self-contained - these tiny submersibles may someday take a human to the bottom of the sea

Elevators on the Move; October 1997; by Lacob; 2 Page(s)

Elevator technology is taking off in new directions, including sideways

The Amateur Scientist; October 1997; by Carlson; 2 Page(s)

Recording the Sounds of Life

Mathematical Recreations; October 1997; by Stewart; 4 Page(s)

Two-Way Jigsaw Puzzles

Reviews; October 1997; by Boellstorff, Cohen, Powell, Yam; 5 Page(s)

Reviews

Commentary: Wonders - Air-Cooled; October 1997; by Morrison; 2 Page(s)

Fifty years ago power overloads and outages were the menace of winter.

The Buck Stops Here; October 1997; by Burke; 2 Page(s)

I was going Dutch the other day at lunch and handing over my share in U.S. dollar bills when I remembered that it was a 16th-century polymath from Holland who started all that decimal money stuff.

Working Knowledge; October 1997; by Rainey; 1 Page(s)

Fish Ladders