February 2006
Scientific American Magazine

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

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

SA Perspectives: To Banish a Cancer; February 2006; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Don't put politics before cancer prevention

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

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

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

Scientific Freedom; Dead Suns; Heating with Mummy

Polar Satellite Freeze; February 2006; by Charles Q. Choi; 2 Page(s)

Delays might undermine climate studies and forecasts

Food for Thought; February 2006; by Kate Wong; 3 Page(s)

Giant hominid teeth not for crunching nuts, but shellfish

Bouncy Proteins; February 2006; by Steven Ashley; 2 Page(s)

Synthetic version of insect super-rubber springs forth

Talking Up Enlightenment; February 2006; by Christina Reed; 2 Page(s)

Neuroscientists hear--and applaud--the Dalai Lama

Winner Takes All; February 2006; by Patrick Di Justo; 1 Page(s)

Are tech prizes the best way to the cutting edge?

Pinching Out Sulfur; February 2006; by JR Minkel; 3 Page(s)

Refining ways to turn heavy oil into sweet crude

News Scan Briefs; February 2006; by George Musser, JR Minkel, Philip Yam; 2 Page(s)

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright; Greener Cretaceous Pastures; Sight for Bee Eyes; Fiber Irregularities; The Devil You Know; Catch as Quantum Can

By the Numbers: Sizing Up; February 2006; by Rodger Doyle; 1 Page(s)

Roots of obesity epidemic lie in the mid-20th century

Skeptic: It's Dogged as Does It; February 2006; by Michael Shermer; 2 Page(s)

Retracing Darwin's footsteps in the Gal¿pagos shatters a myth but reveals how revolutions in science actually evolve

Insights: Teach the Science; February 2006; by Steve Mirsky; 2 Page(s)

Wherever evolution education is under attack by creationist thinking, Eugenie Scott will be there to defend science

Plasma Accelerators; February 2006; by Chandrashekhar Joshi; 8 Page(s)

A new method of particle acceleration in which the particles "surf" on a wave of plasma promises to unleash a wealth of applications

Intrigue at the Immune Synapse; February 2006; by Daniel M. Davis; 8 Page(s)

Images of interacting immune cells reveal structured connections similar to the ones neurons use to communicate. Studying these synapses is providing new insights into how the cells form an information-sharing network to fight disease

Thwarting Nuclear Terrorism; February 2006; by Alexander Glaser and Frank N. von Hippel; 8 Page(s)

Many civilian research reactors contain highly enriched uranium that terrorists could use to build nuclear bombs

Protecting New Orleans; February 2006; by Mark Fischetti; 8 Page(s)

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast. The storm season starts again this June--and every June. Can coastal communities ever be safeguarded?

Miniaturized Power; February 2006; by Charles Q. Choi; 4 Page(s)

With nanobatteries, power sources finally shrink with the rest of electronics

Owning the Stuff of Life; February 2006; by Gary Stix; 8 Page(s)

Patents on DNA have not caused the severe disruption of biomedical research and societal norms anticipated by critics. But the deluge may be yet to come

Putting a Face on the First President; February 2006; by Jeffrey H. Schwartz; 8 Page(s)

Solving a surprisingly long-standing mystery, a forensic anthropologist reconstructs what George Washington looked like as a young man

Working Knowledge: Into the Breach; February 2006; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Levees

Technicalities: My Virtual War; February 2006; by Mark Alpert; 2 Page(s)

A disturbing stroll through a simulated battlefield

Reviews: A Tour of Turing; February 2006; by Andrew Hodges; 2 Page(s)

The Man Who Knew Too Much tackles Alan Turing, the computer scientist whose name continues to evoke mysteries

Anti Gravity: Bait and Switch; February 2006; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Some notes on our feathered and finned friends

Ask the Experts; February 2006; by Peter Nalin, John Margrave; 1 Page(s)

What causes a fever? Why do we put salt on icy surfaces in the winter?