May 2012
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; May 2012; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; May 2012; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editor; May 2012; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

New Physics and Future Medicine

Letters; May 2012; by The Editors; 2 Page(s)

Letters to the editor from the January 2012 issue of Scientific American

Science Agenda: Fresh Fruit, Hold the Insulin; May 2012; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

While health officials wage a costly war on obesity and diabetes, taxpayers are subsidizing foods that make us fatter. It's time to rewrite the farm bill

Forum: Boundary Conditions; May 2012; by ÿAlice P. Gast; 1 Page(s)

A Mexican, a German and an American were working in a physics lab...

Is Supersymmetry Dead?; May 2012; by Davide Castelvecchi; 2 Page(s)

The grand scheme, a stepping-stone to string theory, is still high on physicists' wish lists. But if no solid evidence surfaces soon, it could begin to have a serious PR problem

Bright Microbes; May 2012; by Cheryl Lyn Dybas; 1 Page(s)

Scientists uncover new clues to bioluminescence

Bugs in the Ice Sheet; May 2012; by Cheryl Katz; 1 Page(s)

Melting glaciers could liberate ancient microbes

Weighing the Risks; May 2012; by Melinda Wenner Moyer; 1 Page(s)

Women who opt for epidurals are more likely to run a fever during labor that can endanger their baby

Goldbach's Prime Numbers; May 2012; by Davide Castelvecchi; 1 Page(s)

A centuries-old conjecture is nearing its solution

Patent Watch; May 2012; by Rose Eveleth; 1 Page(s)

Patent No. 8,118,752

"It's Almost Science Fiction"; May 2012; by David Biello; 1 Page(s)

Steven Chu on the futuristic batteries and "little weird" bacteria that will pave our way to energy independence

Does Digital Piracy Really Hurt Movies?; May 2012; by Michael Moyer; 1 Page(s)

Two economists untangle the relation between illegal downloads and ticket sales

What Is It?; May 2012; by Rose Eveleth; 1 Page(s)

Curled-up critter

Not Ready for Takeoff; May 2012; by James E. Oberg; 1 Page(s)

A recent report from Russia's space agency sheds light on a string of recent failures

Real Males Eat Yogurt; May 2012; by Elie Dolgin; 1 Page(s)

Probiotics may endow rodents with a "mouse swagger"

Stars to the Rescue; May 2012; by Marc Kuchner; 1 Page(s)

Science as a new cause célèbre

How to Tell Who's Tracking You Online; May 2012; by Michael Moyer; 1 Page(s)

A new tool reveals your virtual footsteps and who's taking note

The Science of Health: Return of the Clap; May 2012; by Maryn McKenna; 2 Page(s)

Gonorrhea, once a minor illness, is developing resistance to the last category of drugs that still works against it and could become untreatable

Technofiles: The Trouble with Wi-Fi; May 2012; by David Pogue; 1 Page(s)

Impossible connections, dropped signals, phantom networks—why wireless Internet still seems stuck in the Stone Age

Loops, Trees and the Search for New Physics; May 2012; by Zvi Bern, Lance J. Dixon and David A. Kosower; 8 Page(s)

Maybe unifying the forces of nature isn't quite as hard as physicists thought it would be

Tomorrow's Medicine; May 2012; by The Editors, Nancy Shute, Ferris Jabr, Katherine Harmon; 6 Page(s)

A look at some of the most promising medical devices now in development

Triumph of the Titans; May 2012; by Kristina A. Curry Rogers and Michael D. D'Emic; 8 Page(s)

The long-necked dinosaurs known as sauropods, once seen as icons of extinction, thrived for millions of years all around the world

Erasing Painful Memories; May 2012; by Jerry Adler; 6 Page(s)

The caustic imprint of a traumatic memory may fade or vanish with new drug and behavioral therapies

What a Plant Smells; May 2012; by Daniel Chamovitz; 4 Page(s)

Botanists are getting a whiff of the ways that plants smell one another. Some plants recognize injured neighbors by scent; others sniff out a meal

Telltale Hearts; May 2012; by Ann Chin; 2 Page(s)

Despite advances in medical imaging, an autopsy still gives experts the best picture of what ails us

A Better Eye On the Storm; May 2012; by Jane Lubchenco and Jack Hayes; 6 Page(s)

New technology that increases the warning time for tornadoes and hurricanes could potentially save hundreds of lives every year

Nature's Color Tricks; May 2012; by Philip Ball; 6 Page(s)

Understanding seven clever tactics animals use to create dazzling hues may lead to sophisticated new technologies

Professional Seer; May 2012; by Larry Greenemeier; 4 Page(s)

The world's largest computer chipmaker employs a corporate futurist, Brian David Johnson, to guess what gadgetry and computing will look like in 2020 and beyond

Recommended; May 2012; by Anna Kuchment; 2 Page(s)

Books and recommendation from Scientific American

Skeptic: Much Ado about Nothing; May 2012; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

Science closes in on why there is something instead of nothing

Anti-Gravity: Math Rules; May 2012; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Some equations touch all our lives—while others, well, not so much

50, 100, 150 Years Ago; May 2012; by Daniel C. Schlenoff; 1 Page(s)

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in Scientific American

Graphic Science: High and Dry in the Food Desert; May 2012; by John Matson; 1 Page(s)

Where fresh foods are scarce, so is good health