February 2000
Scientific American Magazine

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Cover; February 2000; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; February 2000; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editors; February 2000; by Rennie; 1 Page(s)

Fan Mail from the Fringe

Letters to the Editors; February 2000; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

50, 100 and 150 Years Ago; February 2000; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

In Focus: NASA's not Shining Moments; February 2000; by Oberg; 2 Page(s)

The space agency's approach, including its "faster, better, cheaper" credo, may be a recipe for disaster

An Elemental Mystery; February 2000; by Hayashi; 1 Page(s)

Who really discovered element 43?

The Nonnegligible Lightness of Gravity; February 2000; by Collins; 1 Page(s)

Physicists verify that even gravity itself has weight

In Brief; February 2000; by Martindale, Yam; 3 Page(s)

Genetic Landmark; Faulty Ideas?; Cell-Phone Forgettable; Life from Scratch; Minty Insecticide; Speed Demons; More Than a Wobble

Anti Gravity: Worth a Thousand Words; February 2000; by Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

Millennial fever seems to be finally breaking, which allows one important, unresolved question to assume prominence in our collective consideration: How do you throw away a garbage can?

Methane Fever; February 2000; by Simpson; 3 Page(s)

An undersea methane explosion may have driven the most rapid warming episode of the past 90 million years

By the Numbers: The U.S. Trade Deficit; February 2000; by Doyle; 1 Page(s)

As an indicator, the trade deficit is most peculiar, for it is both a sign of prosperity and a portent of decline.

Profile: When the Sky Is Not the Limit; February 2000; by Mirsky; 2 Page(s)

In bringing the stars indoors, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson expands the visitor's universe

Violent Opposition; February 2000; by Turville-Heitz; 1 Page(s)

Escalating protests may be driving away some researchers

Please Dispose of Properly; February 2000; by Pescovitz; 1 Page(s)

Entrepreneurs look for ways to put old computers to good use

Asbestos in the Air; February 2000; by Renner; 1 Page(s)

A housing boom stirs up natural asbestos in California

Time Out; February 2000; by Beardsley; 1 Page(s)

A Patent Office ruling frees the development of new ultrawideband wireless systems

Gene Therapy Setback; February 2000; by Beardsley; 2 Page(s)

A tragic death clouds the future of an innovative treatment method

CyberView; February 2000; by Wallich; 1 Page(s)

Your First $20 Free!

The Galileo Mission to Jupiter and Its Moons; February 2000; by Johnson; 10 Page(s)

Few scientists thought that the Galileo spacecraft, beset by technical troubles, could conduct such a comprehensive study of the Jovian system. And few predicted that the innards of these worlds would prove so varied

Melting Below Zero; February 2000; by Wettlaufer, Dash; 4 Page(s)

New research shows how a layer of water on the surface of ice - even at temperatures well below freezing - can influence everything from the slipperiness of a skating rink to the electrification of thunderclouds

The Early Origins of Autism; February 2000; by Rodier; 8 Page(s)

New research into the causes of this baffling disorder is focusing on genes that control the development of the brain

Digital Materials and Virtual Weathering; February 2000; by Dorsey, Hanrahan; 8 Page(s)

The next step in creating more realistic computer-generated images is the development of better models of the physical structures of materials and their degradation by the environment

Capturing Greenhouse Gases; February 2000; by Herzog, Eliasson, Kaarstad, sidebars by Martindale and Keith, Parson; 8 Page(s)

Sequestering carbon dioxide underground or in the deep ocean could help alleviate concerns about climate change

Transparent Animals; February 2000; by Johnsen; 10 Page(s)

Ingenious physiological accommodations have evolved to enable a stunning variety of undersea creatures to be remarkably transparent

Uprooting the Tree of Life; February 2000; by Doolittle; 6 Page(s)

About 10 years ago scientists finally worked out the basic outline of how modern life-forms evolved. Now parts of their tidy scheme are unraveling

The Amateur Scientist; February 2000; by Carlson; 2 Page(s)

Gamma-Ray Bursts Come Home

Mathematical Recreations; February 2000; by Stewart; 2 Page(s)

Real and Virtual Sculptures

Reviews; February 2000; by Padian, Staff Editors; 3 Page(s)

"In Search of Deep Time" explains a revolution in understanding evolution; On writing, the Web and more

Wonders: Time Travelers in the Field; February 2000; by Morrison, Morrison; 2 Page(s)

Time traveling with wheat

Connections: Movers and Shakers; February 2000; by Burke; 2 Page(s)

Steamboats, land deals and seismographs

Working Knowledge; February 2000; by Bloomfield; 1 Page(s)

Catalytic Converter