January 2010
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; January 2010; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; January 2010; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editor; January 2010; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

Life Quest

Letters; January 2010; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

The First Computer; Fights over Fossils

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; January 2010; by Daniel C. Schlenoff; 1 Page(s)

Sensational Press; Stylish Cars; Lotus Eaters

Climate Numerology; January 2010; by David Biello; 2 Page(s)

Trying to find a "safe" level for atmospheric carbon dioxide

Renewed Hope; January 2010; by Katherine Harmon; 2 Page(s)

Despite questions, AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand spreads optimism

Back Into the Folds; January 2010; by M. A. Woodbury; 3 Page(s)

Interest returns in using fetal cells to repair damaged brains

A Light in the Brain; January 2010; by Gary Stix; 3 Page(s)

Optogenetics emerges as a potent tool to study the brain's inner workings

Sound Approach; January 2010; by Larry Greenemeier; 2 Page(s)

Loopy idea brings in speech loud and clear

Warp-Speed Algebra; January 2010; by Davide Castelvecchi; 2 Page(s)

New quantum algorithm can solve monster-size equations

Machismo Mayhem; January 2010; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Why you felt less manly after voting John McCain for president

A Large Lump of Coal; January 2010; by George Musser; 1 Page(s)

Other Earths may be made of graphite and diamond

Perspectives - Big Need for a Little Testing; January 2010; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

The EPA must act swiftly to evaluate the possible health risks of nanotechnology

Sustainable Developments - The Need for Open Process; January 2010; by Jeffrey D. Sachs; 1 Page(s)

The Obama administration must reform how policies are made, not just the policies themselves

Critical Mass - Space, the Final Frontier?; January 2010; by Lawrence M. Krauss; 1 Page(s)

Let's stop kidding ourselves about why we really want to go back to the moon

Skeptic - Kool-Aid Psychology?; January 2010; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

How optimism trumped realism in the positive-psychology movement

Critical Mass - The Doomsday Clock Still Ticks; January 2010; by Lawrence M. Krauss; 1 Page(s)

As long as opportunities and excuses for nuclear aggression persist, the world will never be safe from annihilation

Looking for Life in the Multiverse; January 2010; by Alejandro Jenkins; Gilad Perez; 8 Page(s)

Universes with different physical laws might still be habitable

The Rise and Fall of Nanobacteria; January 2010; by John D. Young; Jan Martel; 8 Page(s)

Once believed to be the smallest pathogens known, nanobacteria have now proved to be something almost as strange. They do play a role in health—just not the one originally thought

Violent Origins of Continents; January 2010; by Sarah Simpson; 8 Page(s)

Did asteroid strikes during the earth's youth spawn the earliest fragments of today's landmasses?

Real Money from Virtual Worlds; January 2010; by Richard Heeks; 6 Page(s)

Online fantasy games enable developing world entrepreneurs to make a living by trading stashes of make-believe gold for hard cash

Local Nuclear War, Global Suffering; January 2010; by Alan Robock; Owen Brian Toon; 8 Page(s)

Worry has focused on the U.S. versus Russia, but a regional nuclear war between India and Pakistan could blot out the sun, starving much of the human race

The Next 20 Years of Microchips; January 2010; by The Editors; 6 Page(s)

Designers are pushing all the boundaries to make integrated circuits smaller, faster and cheaper

A Plan to Defeat Neglected Tropical Diseases; January 2010; by Peter Jay Hotez; 6 Page(s)

The poorest people are not only poor. They are also chronically sick, making it harder for them to escape poverty. A new global initiative may break the vicious cycle

Recommended; January 2010; by Kate Wong; 1 Page(s)

Cosmic Revelations; Bird-Watching; Medieval Manuscripts

Anti-Gravity - Careful What You Wish For; January 2010; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

The potential problems with more public interest in science