December 2011
Scientific American Magazine

Digital subscribers-sign in for full access

Cover; December 2011; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; December 2011; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editor; December 2011; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

Emergent Genius

Letters; December 2011; by The Editors; 2 Page(s)

Letters to the editor from the August 2011 issue of Scientific American

Science Agenda: Stop the Genetic Dragnet; December 2011; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

Police currently collect samples of DNA from detainees—retaining the DNA even if a suspect turns out to be innocent

Forum: Stop the Killer Rocks; December 2011; by Edward T. Lu; 1 Page(s)

The job of saving humanity from extinction currently falls to no one. NASA and other organizations should take it on

Can't Touch This Feeling; December 2011; by Sharon Begley; 1 Page(s)

Primates can now move and sense the textures of objects using only their thoughts

Microwaves and the Speed of Light; December 2011; by W. Wayt Gibbs, Nathan Myhrvold; 1 Page(s)

New physics tricks for the most underestimated of kitchen appliances

A Circuit in Every Cell; December 2011; by Tim Requarth, Greg Wayne; 1 Page(s)

Progress for tiny biocomputers

Vitamins, Minerals and MicroRNA; December 2011; by Anne-Marie C. Hodge; 1 Page(s)

The food we eat may control our genes

Fluid Dynamics in a Cup; December 2011; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Scientists puzzle out when and why coffee spills

Freedom Fighter; December 2011; by Jonathan Zittrain; 1 Page(s)

Which side was Steve Jobs on?

This Year, Give Them Brains; December 2011; by Anna Kuchment; 2 Page(s)

Each year we poll scientists and educators on ideas for books, puzzles and toys that foster inquiry. This season's picks range from a top that never stops spinning to a build-it-yourself skull.

Yawn of the Tortoise; December 2011; by Scicurious Brain; 1 Page(s)

Sleepiness and boredom aren't always contagious

Why Neutrinos Might Wimp Out; December 2011; by Davide Castelvecchi; 1 Page(s)

Particles that go beyond light speed? Not so fast, many theoretical physicists say

Universal Alignment; December 2011; by Michael Moyer; 1 Page(s)

Could the cosmos have a point?

From Pollen to Polyester; December 2011; by Rose Eveleth; 1 Page(s)

A materials scientist explains how her research into bees could help us make sturdy recyclable containers in the future

What Is It?; December 2011; by David Biello; 1 Page(s)

Attack of the jellyfish

The Science of Health: Swapping Germs; December 2011; by Maryn McKenna; 2 Page(s)

A potentially beneficial but unusual treatment for serious intestinal ailments may fall victim to regulatory difficulties

Technofiles: How to See the Invisible; December 2011; by David Pogue; 2 Page(s)

Augumented-reality apps uncover the hidden reality all around you

World Changing Ideas; December 2011; by The Editors, Elizabeth Svoboda; Christopher Mims; Francie Diep; Morgen Peck; Sarah Fecht; 10 Page(s)

10 new technologies that will make a difference

The Machine That Would Predict the Future; December 2011; by David Weinberger; 6 Page(s)

If you dropped all the world's data into a black box, could it become a crystal ball that would let you see the future—even test what would happen if you chose A over B? One researcher thinks so, and he could soon get a billion euros to build it

This Way to Mars; December 2011; by Damon Landau; Nathan J. Strange; 8 Page(s)

By adapting ideas from robotic planetary exploration, the human space program could get astronauts to asteroids and Mars cheaply and quickly

Dazzling Miniatures; December 2011; by Gary Stix; 6 Page(s)

Small worlds writ large under the microscope

After the Deluge; December 2011; by John A. Carey; 4 Page(s)

A spate of floods, droughts and heat waves is prompting city and state leaders to take bold steps to protect their people and property

HIdden Switches in the Mind; December 2011; by Eric J. Nestler; 8 Page(s)

Experience may contribute to mental illness in a surprising way: by causing "epigenetic" changes—ones that turn genes on or off without altering the genes themselves

Ants & the Art of War; December 2011; by Mark W. Moffett; 6 Page(s)

Battles among ants can be startlingly similar to human military operations

Arm in the Ice; December 2011; by Colleen Fitzpatrick; 4 Page(s)

New fingerprint- and DNA-identification techniques solve a mystery from a 60-year-old plane crash

Speaking Out on the "Quiet Crisis"; December 2011; by Brendan Borrell; 5 Page(s)

Strengthening science education is the key to securing our energy future, says Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's president

Recommended; December 2011; by Kate Wong; 1 Page(s)

Books and recommendation from Scientific American

Skeptic: Sacred Salubriousness; December 2011; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

New research on self-control explains the link between religion and health

Anti-Gravity: Respect for Evidence; December 2011; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

The proof is in the pudding only if you concede the fact of the pudding

50, 100, 150 Years Ago; December 2011; by Daniel C. Schlenoff; 1 Page(s)

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in Scientific American

Graphic Science: The Links We Love; December 2011; by Mark Fischetti; 1 Page(s)

Science aficionados have odd and surprising interests