May 2006
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

SA Perspectives: Don't Rob the Cradle; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

A $2-billion bargain for improving public health

How to Contact Us and On the Web; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Letters to the Editors; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; May 2006; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Brain and Behavior; San Francisco Earthquake; Strychnine's Trail

Legislating Integrity; May 2006; by Paul Raeburn; 2 Page(s)

A small attempt to prevent political misuse of science

Mixing It Up; May 2006; by David Biello; 2 Page(s)

Harmless levels of chemicals prove toxic together

Chaos in the Crater; May 2006; by Graham P. Collins; 2 Page(s)

Welcome to Vredefort, a real Bermuda Triangle

Pumping Coal; May 2006; by Gunjan Sinha; 3 Page(s)

Coming soon to the U.S.: cleaner diesel from dirty coal

Enhanced Armor; May 2006; by Steven Ashley; 2 Page(s)

New shields to fend off evolving battlefield threats

Light Work; May 2006; by Eric Smalley; 1 Page(s)

Better solar nanotubes to split water for hydrogen

By the Numbers: Welfare Woes; May 2006; by Rodger Doyle; 1 Page(s)

Mixed success in getting people on their own feet

News Scan Briefs; May 2006; by JR Minkel, Charles Q. Choi; 2 Page(s)

Powering Off for Safety; Cannibal Run; Origami from DNA; Artificial Gravity with Magnetism; Cold Faithful; Eyeing Redness

Skeptic: SHAM Scam; May 2006; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

The Self-Help and Actualization Movement has become an $8.5-billion-a-year business. Does it work?

Insights: Android Science; May 2006; by Tim Hornyak; 2 Page(s)

Hiroshi Ishiguro makes perhaps the most humanlike robots around--not particularly to serve as societal helpers but to tell us something about ourselves

The First Few Microseconds; May 2006; by Michael Riordan and William A. Zajc; 8 Page(s)

In recent experiments, physicists have replicated conditions of the infant universe--with startling results

Bringing DNA Computers to Life; May 2006; by Ehud Shapiro and Yaakov Benenson; 8 Page(s)

Tapping the computing power of biological molecules gives rise to tiny machines that can speak directly to living cells

The Birth of the Mighty Amazon; May 2006; by Carina Hoorn; 8 Page(s)

Insight into how the world's largest river formed is helping scientist explain the extraordinary abundance of plant and animal life in the Amazon rain forest

Blockbuster Dreams; May 2006; by Gary Stix; 4 Page(s)

New understanding of the biology behind a successful cancer therapy may lead to a drug that can treat an array of solid tumors

Giant Telescopes of the Future; May 2006; by Roberto Gilmozzi; 8 Page(s)

The astronomical version of Moore's law says that telescopes double in size every few decades. But today's designers think they can build a telescope three, five or even 10 times bigger within a decade

Shutting Down Alzheimer's; May 2006; by Michael S. Wolfe; 8 Page(s)

New research reveals strategies for blocking the molecular processes that lead to this memory-destroying disease

When Slide Rules Ruled; May 2006; by Cliff Stoll; 8 Page(s)

Before electronic calculators, the mechanical slide rule dominated scientific and engineering computation

Working Knowledge: Cutting Work; May 2006; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Robot mowers

Reviews: What Makes a Revolution?; May 2006; by Marguerite Holloway; 3 Page(s)

Can Field Notes from a Catastrophe spark a revolution over global warming?

Anti Gravity: The Proof Is on the Painting; May 2006; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Mixing drinks and culture is an art

Ask the Experts; May 2006; by Mickey Parish, Rick Watling; 1 Page(s)

How do salt and sugar prevent microbial spoilage? Why do bubbles form if a glass of water is left alone for a while?