September 2011
Scientific American Magazine

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

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

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

City Lights

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

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

Science Agenda: In Fairness to Cities; September 2011; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

The U.S. needs to level the playing field between city, suburb and countryside

Forum: The Best and the Brightest; September 2011; by Michael R. Bloomberg; 1 Page(s)

New York City's bid to attract science talent could serve as a model for other cities

The Stress of Crowds; September 2011; by Alla Katsnelson; 1 Page(s)

City dwellers may handle pressure differently from those who live in less populated areas

New Help For Smokers; September 2011; by Jeneen Interlandi; 1 Page(s)

An antinicotine vaccine is moving closer to regulatory approval

Patent Watch; September 2011; by Adam Piore; 1 Page(s)

Haptic computer interface

What Is It?; September 2011; by John Matson; 1 Page(s)

A hole in the sky

Her Summer Pastime? Cancer Research; September 2011; by John Matson; 1 Page(s)

High school student Shree Bose discusses her win at the first Google Science Fair

Cooking That Sucks; September 2011; by W. Wayt Gibbs and Nathan Myhrvold; 1 Page(s)

Vacuum pumps in the kitchen

Can You See Me Now?; September 2011; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

A new x-ray technique may herald improved baggage screening and mammograms

The Shape of a Nose; September 2011; by Joan Raymond; 1 Page(s)

Cold-weather noses may function differently from those that evolved in hot and humid climates

News Scans; September 2011; by George Hackett; 1 Page(s)

In Brief

After Shock and Awe; September 2011; by Larry Greenemeier; 1 Page(s)

All the gear $1.3 trillion can buy

The Pitfalls ofPositive Thinking; September 2011; by Alla Katsnelson; 1 Page(s)

The Pitfalls of Positive Thinking

Less Bang, More Bubbles; September 2011; by Charles Q. Choi; 1 Page(s)

Light curtains of air may protect fish from the din of humans

Cocaine's Newest Risks; September 2011; by Francie Diep; 1 Page(s)

A new drug contaminant is causing frightening outbreaks of blackened skin and low white blood cell counts

One Brainy Fish; September 2011; by Tim Requarth; 1 Page(s)

An electric fish from the Congo may hold the key to how we move

The Science of Health: Straight Talk about Vaccination; September 2011; by Matthew F. Daley; Jason M. Glanz; 2 Page(s)

Parents need better information, ideally before a baby is born

Technofiles: Password Prevented; September 2011; by David Pogue; 2 Page(s)

In a world drowning in absurd security requirements, it's nice to see a few islands of reason

Street-Savvy; September 2011; by The Editors; 4 Page(s)

Meeting the biggest challenges starts with the city

The Social Nexus; September 2011; by Carlo Ratti; Anthony Townsend; 6 Page(s)

The best way to harness a city's potential for creativity and innovation is to jack people into the network and get out of the way

Engines of Innovation; September 2011; by Edward Glaeser; 6 Page(s)

Most of humanity now lives in a metropolis. That simple fact helps to fuel our continued success as a species

Global Bazaar; September 2011; by Robert Neuwirth; 8 Page(s)

Shantytowns, favelas and jhopadpattis turn out to be places of surprising innovation

Brains Over Buildings; September 2011; by Edward Glaeser; 2 Page(s)

To rejuvenate urban centers, look to teachers and entrepreneurs

How Green Is My City; September 2011; by David Biello; 4 Page(s)

Retrofitting is the best way to clean up urban living

All Climate Is Local; September 2011; by Cynthia Rosenzweig; 4 Page(s)

Mayors are often better equipped than presidents to cut greenhouse gases

The Efficient City; September 2011; by Mark Fischetti; 2 Page(s)

Municipalities worldwide are exploiting a host of creative solutions to reduce energy consumption, water use, waste and emissions, while also making it easier for people to get around

Castles in the Air; September 2011; by Mark Lamster; 8 Page(s)

The attacks of 9/11 supposedly ended the age of the skyscraper. A decade on we're building more than ever

Street Talk; September 2011; by Michael Easter; Gary Stix; 4 Page(s)

What innovation—technological or otherwise—would make any city a substantially more livable place? We put this question to urban leaders and our own readers. Here's what they said

Life in the Meta City; September 2011; by William Gibson; 2 Page(s)

We walk a line between the anarchy of choice and Disney-fication, says the author of Neuromancer

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

Books and recommendation from Scientific American

Skeptic: What Is Pseudoscience?; September 2011; by Michael Shermer; 1 Page(s)

Distinguishing between science and pseudoscience is problematic

Anti-Gravity: Noble Nobel Faces; September 2011; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

A week in Lindau, where scientists are celebrities

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

Innovation and discovery as chronicled in Scientific American

Graphic Science: The Human Cost of Energy; September 2011; by Mark Fischetti; 1 Page(s)

Fossil fuels exact the biggest toll in terms of lives lost