SciAm Daily Digest

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NEWS
Loci Color: Gene Therapy Cures Color-Blindness in Adult Monkeys
A treatment that appears safe and effective in treating natural color-blindness in monkeys might just lead to colorizing the world for similarly afflicted people, along with restoring sight to those with other retinal diseases
> Related Podcast: Gene Therapy Cures Color-Blind Monkeys

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Health care reform: Doctors favor public-private mix as an insurance option
Despite the American Medical Association's lobby against public options for health insurance, only 27 percent of doctors are in favor of limiting coverage to private options

NEWS
Solar System Dwarf Planet "Haumea" Has a Mystery Spot
A blotch on the distant, football-shaped body could help reveal what the dwarf planet is made of

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Salty Origins for Early Earth Biomolecules
A study presented at the European Planetary Science Conference proposed that salt deposits on the early Earth's volcanic coasts enabled the conversion of amino acids into other important molecules to initiate life

FEATURES
"Team Diarrhea" Follows a Trail of Sickness Caused by Tainted Food
University of Minnesota grad students ask the tough questions as they investigate cases of food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Microbe-ferrying Russian probe reportedly won't head for Mars orbit until 2011
The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft had been slated to head off this year on a sample-return mission to Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons

GREENWIRE
Lack of U.S. Climate Change Legislation Will Delay Global Treaty Talks
The U.S. special envoy admits that a global treaty may not be ready in time for Copenhagen in December thanks to a lack of final legislation in the U.S.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Underwater Suffering: Do Fish Feel Pain?
A study suggests fish consciously experience discomfort

60-SECOND EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Should cheetahs be reintroduced in India?
The big cats have been hunted to extinction in 15 countries, and their remaining African and Asian populations currently face genetic weaknesses, such as low sperm counts and deformed tails, because of inbreeding

BERING IN MIND
Top Scientists Get to the Bottom of Gay Male Sex Role Preferences
"Tops," "Bottoms," "Versatiles" and others in the study of gay male self-identity

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Recommended: The Philosophical Baby
Scientific American reviews Vesuvius and Naming Nature

VIDEO
Bolivia debates coca leaf's future
Coca leaf producers in Bolivia argue that legal products are the way of the future for the plant, but critics fear that more coca will inevitably mean more cocaine

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NEWS
Researchers Home In on an Early Diagnostic Marker for Deadly Pancreatic Cancer
Scientists are looking at microRNAs for early detection of the notoriously silent cancer that usually becomes symptomatic after it is too late for treatment

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Mini T. Rex Recovered
In a study in the journal Science, researchers announce the discovery of a dinosaur 125 million years older and one-ninetieth the size of T. Rex, but having virtually the same body plan as the giant dino. Cynthia Graber reports

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
MIND Reviews: The Soloist
Recommendations from Scientific American MIND: The Soloist, based on LA Times columnist Steve Lopez's book of the same name, translates a powerful depiction of mental illness and urban desolation into a moving film

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Scientific American Travel: Caribbean Conference Cruise

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
NASA's moon orbiter returns promising early data in the hunt for lunar water ice
At a news conference from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., NASA presented preliminary results from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's instruments. The mission launched in June

FEATURES
Oil Rig of the Future: A Solar Panel That Produces Oil
Researchers propose a novel approach to producing biofuel using diatoms

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Lack of insurance causes more than 44,000 U.S. deaths annually, study says
Going without health insurance can delay when people obtain primary and preventive care, potentially resulting in poorer health. Even more gravely, lack of insurance is to blame for some 44,789 adult deaths across the U.S. every year, according to a new study

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Recovered meteorite points to an unusual origin
In 2007, a sky-watching program tracked a streak of light over Australia that led researchers to meteorite fragments on the ground. The meteorite has revealed itself to be out of the ordinary, one of a small family of its kind that does not originate from a large asteroid known as Vesta

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
How to Stop the Ongoing Loss of Species
Can the world tackle poverty and the biodiversity crisis at the same time? It better, David Biello reports

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
One in six Mediterranean mammals in trouble
The latest regional update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species finds bad news for mammals living around the Mediterranean. One in six species in the area is now threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN report

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
An eyetooth for an eye: A rare transplant restores sight to blinded woman
A Mississippi woman who had been blind for nine years can now see again after doctors implanted one of her teeth into her eye. Two weeks after several sessions of intensive surgery, she now has 20/70 vision in one of her eyes

> Related video: Eyetooth restores sight

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Turbocharging the Brain--Pills to Make You Smarter? (Preview)
Will a pill at breakfast improve concentration and memory--and will it do so without long-term detriment to your health?

NEWS
Conditional Consciousness: Patients in Vegetative States Can Learn, Predicting Recovery
Brain-damaged patients who appear to have lost signs of conscious awareness might still be able to create new memories, showing signs of new neural networks and potential for partial recovery

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Algaeus lives! A modified Prius goes cross-country on fuel from algae
You really can drive cross-country on algal gas--and a 700-pound battery pack--or so proved the crew behind the documentary Fuel

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Playing the Averages: The Risks of Pharmaceutical Advances
Acting Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina introduces the October 2009 issue of Scientific American

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Mooo-ve that manure: Agricultural runoff a spreading public health issue
Runoff from agriculture is the biggest polluter of the country's river and stream water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FEATURES
Medical Monitoring Networks Get Personal
The FCC is considering a request to allocate spectrum bandwidth for medical body area networks that wirelessly monitor one's health

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
"Futurity" service launches to promote university research as traditional science journalism declines
A research news service made a splash this week, introducing a consortium model for distributing information about discoveries made by dozens of universities. It also sparked more hand-wringing about the contraction of science journalism

IMAGE GALLERY
Planck spacecraft's first look back in time
Planck, a space observatory, has begun its task of probing the universe as it looked when it was just a sliver of its present age

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
How much in subsidies do fossil fuels get anyway?
Some members of the Obama administration plan to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies at next week's G20 economic summit, citing positive impacts ranging from improved energy security to combating climate change

NEWS
Better Materials Could Build a Green Construction Industry
Construction material entrepreneurs discussed efforts to create more environmentally friendly cement and other building products at a conference in California

VIDEO
Bolivia debates future of coca leaf
Coca leaf producers in Bolivia argue that legal products are the way of the future for the plant, but critics fear that more coca will inevitably mean more cocaine

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60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Torture Interferes with Memory
In the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, psychologist Share O'Mara notes that torture can interfere with the brain's memory retrieval apparatus, making it counterproductive to the aim of producing useful information
> Related Blog: How torture may inhibit accurate confessions

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Decline in financial skills suggests Alzheimer's is less than a year away
Paying bills or counting change may seem like basic life skills, but for those who are about to slip into older-age dementia, the tasks can become increasingly difficult

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Positions of Genes Inside the Cell Nucleus Exert Biological Effects
Researchers are learning how the architecture of the nucleus affects gene expression

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Scary Music Scarier with Eyes Shut
Researchers report that listening to scary music with eyes shut may intensify the emotional experience

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Why Are We Annoyed by the Sound of Nails on a Chalkboard?
Neuroscientist Josh McDermott of New York University explains

60-SECOND EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
AIDS-like retrovirus threatens Australia's koalas with extinction
Up to 50 percent of Australia's koalas are also infected with chlamydiosis, made all the more deadly by the retrovirus, which can compromise the animals' immune systems

NEWS
Dino Deals: Prehistoric Fossils for Sale on the Vegas Strip [Slide Show]
T. rex and other fossils to be auctioned off publicly next week

MIND MATTERS
The Pigeon as Art Critic
How a bird can discriminate between good art and bad

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Who built the first computer?
Have von Neumann's contributions to computing theory been overlooked in favor of less important but more tangible physical machines?

GREENWIRE
Profile: Who Is Leading International Climate Change Talks?
Yvo de Boer went from parole officer in the Netherlands to international negotiator

VIDEO
Deadly floods hit U.S.
At least five people have died in flooding in the U.S. southeast after heavy weekend downpours

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Inhale or Don't?: Marijuana Hurts Some, Helps Others
Cannabis can kill or rescue neurons--children are at risk, whereas adults may benefit

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Swine Flu Vaccine--Too Little, Too Late
Long-standing liability issues leave us unprepared for a pandemic
> Related: Boosting Vaccines: The Power of Adjuvants

NEWS
Wasted Space: U.S. Military Looking for Ideas on How to Curb the Threat of Orbiting Junk
DARPA is soliciting pitches on how best to remove orbital debris

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
Is Texting Making Us Bad Spellers?
A recent study finds SMS texting is not impacting young people's ability to spell

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Cancer stem cell research gains traction, tackles new targets
Before stem cell research, researchers had been making little progress in the decades-long war on cancer

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
The Tesla Roadster is a rocket...
...and all-electric, too

NEWS
Glow Away: NASA Lights Up the East Coast Sky with a Noctilucent Cloud
Physicists launch rocket to create the first faux "night-shining" cloud on the cusp of space

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
More hot air on climate change from world leaders?
President Obama gave his first major speech on climate change today at the U.N., part of a special session convened to emphasize the lack of speed in international negotiations to address the global problem
> Related Video: U.S., China pledge climate action
> Related: U.S. Unveils New Rule Requiring Greenhouse Gas Reporting

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Drink Now, Pay Later
A study with animals shows that alcohol abuse in adolescence leads to a lifetime of poor decision-making skills

NEWS
Burying Climate Change: Efforts Begin to Sequester Carbon Dioxide from Power Plants
West Virginia hosts the world's first power plant to inject some of its CO2 emissions underground for permanent storage

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Uncharted waters: Students retrofit sailboat with hydrogen power and motor up the Hudson
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are sailing this week on the New Clermont, a 6.7-meter boat outfitted with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power the boat's motor

IMAGE GALLERY
Cassini spacecraft panorama of Saturn at equinox yields unique view of rings
Among the discoveries: a four-kilometer-high wave in one of the planet's rings, apparently caused by the unusually close proximity of the ring's edge to the Saturnian moon Daphnis

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NEWS
Stream of Evidence from 3 Spacecraft Indicates That the Moon Has Water
A trio of reports using recent and archival data point to molecular water across the lunar surface
> Related Podcast: Water on the Moon

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
LSD Returns--For Psychotherapeutics
LSD makes a comeback as a possible clinical treatment

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Is birth control the answer to environmental ills?
Is there an ideal number for human population on this planet?

NEWS
Is Bad Judgment the Cause and Effect of Adolescent Binge Drinking?
A new study in rats suggests that alcohol abuse in adolescents could lead to impaired decision-making in adulthood
> Related: Drink Now, Pay Later

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Do you know where you are? Your cell phone does
A team of researchers is studying new ways to use the abundance of sensors contained in most smart phones to determine mobile users' precise locations and thereby deliver hyper-localized services

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Inflammation Brings on the Blues
Our immune system may mean well, but it might also cause depression

NEWS
Grappling with the Anthropocene: Scientists Identify Safe Limits for Human Impacts on Planet
Scientists propose a list of planetary boundaries for human impacts ranging from biodiversity loss to the global nitrogen cycle

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Wylie Coywolf: The coyote-wolf hybrid has made its way to the Northeast
Bigger than coyotes but smaller than wolves, their howl is high-pitched and their diet includes deer and small rodents

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Uncharted waters: When hydrogen fails, the students turn to that old standby--Gasoline
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are sailing this week on the New Clermont, a 6.7-meter boat outfitted with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power the boat's motor. This is the second of Scientific American.com's blogs chronicling this expedition

EXTREME TECH
New Cooling Technology Uses Air "Bullets" to Shoot Down Overheated LEDs
Light-emitting diodes generate much less heat than traditional lightbulbs, but the heat they do radiate makes them dimmer and cuts short their life spans

GREENWIRE
New EPA List Points to Possible Regulations for 104 Chemicals Found in Tap Water
This is the longest list of potential contaminants ever compiled by the agency

VIDEO
China adds wind-power capacity
China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, aims to produce 8 percent of its total energy with wind power within the next decade

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60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
AIDS vaccine surprises scientists, proves partially successful
Researchers reported that an experimental HIV vaccine effectively reduced the number of people who contracted the virus by nearly a third
> Related Video: HIV vaccine 'cuts' infection rates

NEWS
Greenhouse Rock: Stone-Cold Data from Ancient Glacial Deposits May Help Reveal Future Climate Change
Scientists are developing sophisticated tools to trace the paths of glaciers, unearthing previously unknown pieces of the climate record

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Meteorite impacts turn up nearly pure water ice in Mars's mid-latitudes
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found visual evidence of water in five recent impact craters in the Martian mid-latitudes, near the boundary where subsurface ice is thought to be no longer tenable

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Steven Chu to greenhouse gases: We will bury you
The U.S. Energy Department has funneled $3.4 billion in stimulus dollars to research and develop the technology known as carbon capture and storage

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Antennae Key to Butterfly Navigation
A study shows that monarch butterflies' sun-related directional sensing is governed by their antennae, not the brain

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Stem cells bring new insights to future treatment of vision--and neural--disorders
Researchers, anxious to uncover accessible neural stem cell candidates, have turned their sights to the retinal pigment epithelium

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Linked Challenges: Climate Change and Energy Use
Are national governments prepared to offer more than hot air on climate change in Copenhagen this December?

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
New feathered dinosaur specimen strengthens dino-bird link
An earlier date for the emergence of feathered dinosaurs undermines claims that birds lacked enough time to evolve from dinosaurs

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Uncharted waters: Hydrogen and the "law of unintended consequences"
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are sailing this week on the New Clermont, a 6.7-meter boat outfitted with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power the boat's motor. This is the third of Scientific American.com's blogs chronicling this expedition

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
MIND Reviews: Neuro-Economic Boom
Recommendations from Scientific American MIND

GREENWIRE
How Will the Smart Grid Work?
The Obama administration lays out its plan for how smart grid standards should work

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Surrogates: A little too true to life
It is the allegory that makes the film worthwhile--it hits a huge number of technological hot buttons

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
50 Years Ago: Kidney Transplantation
Innovation and discovery as chronicled in past issues of Scientific American

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NEWS
Groovy Ganymede: New Map Helps Reveal Origins of Mysterious Features on Solar System's Biggest Moon
The map supports the theory that Ganymede's grooves are the result of orbital resonances among Ganymede, Europa and Io as they circle Jupiter

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Teen Inventors Fight Tinnitus
Irish teenagers Eimear O'Carroll and Rhona Togher developed a treatment they hope will help people with tinnitus, an unpleasant ringing in the ears

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Inflammation Brings on the Blues
Our immune system may mean well, but it might also cause depression

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
New worm species found in unusual habitat: Dead whale carcasses
A sunken whale corpse delivers as much nutrition to the seabed as would otherwise take some 2,000 years to filter down

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Privacy and the Quantum Internet (Preview)
Courtesy of some of the weirdest laws of physics, we may someday be able to search and surf the Web without anyone collecting our data

60-SECOND EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Critically endangered Angolan antelope gets a second chance
It took six years of careful monitoring and tracking, but scientists have finally managed to capture 10 purebred antelopes, which will now form the core of a breeding program to save the species from extinction

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
MIND Reviews: Neuro-Economic Boom
Recommendations from Scientific American MIND

60-SECOND SCIENCE BLOG
Uncharted waters: Blown fuses and other troubles send the New Clermont back to the docks as the team regroups
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are sailing this week on the New Clermont, a 6.7-meter boat outfitted with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power the boat's motor. This is the fourth of Scientific American.com's blogs on the project
> Related: Part 3

VIDEO
Water on the moon?
Three separate missions examining the moon have found clear evidence of water there
> Related Article: Stream of Evidence from 3 Spacecraft Indicates That the Moon Has Water

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NEWS
Champagne Bubbles Liberate Flavor Compounds
The aerosols sprayed upward from sparkling wine have a different chemical signature than the wine itself
> Related Podcast: Champagne Bubbles Key to Taste

OBSERVATIONS
Could a microchip help to diagnose cancer in minutes?
Researchers have developed a device that can detect even low levels of certain biomarkers associated with cancer

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Why We Really Want to Go Back to the Moon
40 years after the Apollo 11 mission, let's stop kidding ourselves about why we really want to go back

MIND MATTERS
Does Falling in Love Make Us More Creative?
A new study demonstrates that thinking about love--but not about sex--causes us to think more "globally," making it easier to come up with new ideas

OBSERVATIONS
Feds draft plan to help protect bats from deadly white-nose syndrome
Since its discovery in January 2007 the lethal fungal infection has killed at many as 1.5 million bats in the U.S. Northeast

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
Clean Energy Contest; and Counting Crickets and Katydids
Scientific American podcast correspondent Cynthia Graber talks about the M.I.T. Clean Energy Prize Competition. And we take part in the recent Cricket Crawl, an effort to take a census of crickets and katydids in the New York metropolitan area

OBSERVATIONS
Software mimics ant behavior by swarming against cyber threats
Computer scientists are studying whether software written to behave like an army of "digital ants" can successfully find and flag malicious software

NEWS
Wild Meat Raises Lead Exposure
Tests by the CDC show that eating venison and other game can raise the amounts of lead in human bodies by 50 percent

OBSERVATIONS
Uganda embarks on bubonic plague prevention program
As reports of bubonic plague in the Democratic Republic of Congo have filtered into neighboring Uganda, the Ugandan government is taking preemptive action

GREENWIRE
Can Wind Power Be Stored?
Wind farms typically generate most of their energy at night, so how do you bottle that power to meet demand that is highest during the day?

OBSERVATIONS
Are Torosaurus and Triceratops one and the same?
A rare horned dinosaur known as Torosaurus may not be a distinct species, after all

VIDEO
Fire hoses are "upcycled"
Reclaimed industrial waste like fire hoses are turned into lifestyle accessories

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NEWS
Farmed Out: How Will Climate Change Impact World Food Supplies?
A new study attempts to estimate the effects of climate change on global agriculture--and outline ways to mitigate its most dire consequences

NEWS BLOG
60-Second Science is now called "Observations" and begets 4 additional blog categories
Each blog focuses on a distinct subject to provide readers with a more engaging read

OBSERVATIONS
NASA spacecraft buzzes Mercury for a third and final time
The third near approach to the planet by the MESSENGER spacecraft provides one last close-up view before it enters orbit around Mercury in March 2011

NEWS
Carmakers and Utilities Charge Ahead on Making Electric Cars "Smart"
The standard for plugging electric cars and hybrids into utility meters remains undefined

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
The Great Depression Increased Life Expectancy
A study finds that the population life expectancy increased during the Great Depression

BERING IN MIND
The problem with psychopaths: a fearful face doesn't deter them
Rather, the look of fear that puzzles diagnosable antisocial people

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How Quantum Effects Could Create Black Stars, Not Holes (Preview)
Quantum effects may prevent true black holes from forming and give rise instead to dense entities called black stars

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
Internet Addiction?
As experts start to organize the next edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a debate has started on whether to include Internet addiction among our newest afflictions

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
The Effect of Our Surroundings on Body Weight
Researchers point to external causes of--and fixes for--the obesity pandemic

OBSERVATIONS
Lessons from a Dead Fish
Are government dollars going to pay for perverse pranks carried out by researchers from Dartmouth, Vassar and the University of California, Santa Barbara?

GREENWIRE
What Will U.S. Climate Legislation Look Like?
An early draft of the Senate bill set to be introduced tomorrow proposes more stringent restrictions on the greenhouse gases behind global warming

VIDEO
Space tourist ready for blast off
A Russian Orthodox priest blesses the spacecraft that will carry space tourist Guy Laliberte and two professional astronauts to the International Space Station

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NEWS
The Dollars and Sense of Closing Schools for H1N1
As the H1N1 virus picks up speed this fall, economists have outlined just how much it would cost to close schools--hotbeds of flu contagion

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Mediterranean dragonflies and damselflies disappearing with region's freshwater
One fifth of dragonflies and damselflies in the region are threatened with extinction

NEWS
Gaming Tech Aids Scientists Building Virtual Synthetic Chromatophore
Researchers are relying on graphics processing units to help build a highly complex computer simulation depicting how chromatophore proteins create photosynthesis

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Odds Favor Drunk Trauma Victims
A study finds that trauma victims who were inebriated at the time of their injury have higher survival rates than their sober counterparts

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
You Snooze, You Lose--Weight
Getting enough rest promotes weight loss

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
What (Maybe) Didn't Kill the Dinosaurs: Comets
A new model for comet production revises the theory of their origins

GREENWIRE
U.S. Senate to Consider U.S. Climate Legislation
The bill would be stronger than the version passed earlier this year in the U.S. House of Representatives

NEWS
EPA Announces Plan to Review Six Controversial Chemicals
Administrator Lisa Jackson announced investigations of BPA and phthalates, among others, as well as a push for chemical regulatory reform generally

VIDEO
Amateur video captures Samoa flood
Video shot in Pago Pago, American Samoa shows the immediate aftermath as a huge swell of water came inland destroying buildings and sweeping away vehicles

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NEWS
Long-Awaited Research on a 4.4-Million-Year-Old Hominid Sheds New Light on Last Common Ancestor
Fifteen years in the making, a dossier of papers on "Ardi" published in Science suggest that like humans, chimpanzees have undergone substantial evolutionary change

OBSERVATIONS
Breast cancer deaths drop over past two decades
The number of women who die from breast cancer has decreased slowly, about 2 percent per year, but steadily since 1990, according to a new report

NEWS
New Computer Graphics Systems Give Reality a Convincing Makeover
Augmented-reality technology mashes computer-generated images with real-world sights and sounds

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Earthquakes Exert Global Influence
An earthquake in Indonesia can mean future tremors in California

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Readers Respond on "Obama's Science"
Letters to the editor on phosphorus bugs, cats and rats

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Ig Nobel Prizes Awarded
On the eve of the Nobel Prize announcements, the Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded at Harvard, for studies into knuckle-cracking and other vital medical and scientific research

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Readers Respond on "Knowing Your Chances"--And More...
Letters to the editor about the April/May/June 2009 issue of Scientific American MIND

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Recommended: The Age of Empathy
Scientific American also suggests The Sibley Guide to Trees

VIDEO
Samoa survivor recalls tsunami
Survivors recount how they survived the tsunami that smashed the Pacific islands of Samoa as officials continue to search for bodies

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NEWS
Work on Telomeres Wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 3 U.S. Genetic Researchers [Update]
Blackburn, Greider and Szostak recognized for research into telomeres--a key chromosome component--and the enzyme telomerase
> Related Podcast: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

OBSERVATIONS
First H1N1 vaccines to arrive Tuesday
The early doses will likely be administered first to individuals that the CDC has pegged as high-priority for vaccination, including health care workers, children and pregnant women

NEWS
Water Lust: Why All the Excitement When H2O Is Found in Space?
Mars, Europa, interstellar nebulae, and now even the moon all seem to be getting wetter with every observation. But what is it about this simple hydrogen-oxygen combo that makes it the sine qua non of finding extraterrestrial life?

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NEWS
The New York City Fire Department to Fight Fire with a Firewall
The FDNY may use geographic information system software to relocate firehouses to meet changing population patterns

EXTREME TECH
(Un)inflated Expectations: Airless Lunar Wheel Concept Gets a Workout on Moon Rover Prototypes [Slide Show]
A tire company works toward a design for the extremes of space that doesn't need inflating

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Truth Is That Parents Lie to Kids
A study in the Journal of Moral Education finds that parents lie to children regularly, to influence behavior

FEATURES
Another Inconvenient Truth: The World's Growing Population Poses a Malthusian Dilemma
Solving climate change, the Sixth Extinction and population growth... at the same time

FEATURES
Awaiting Animals: Casting East African Wildlife "in a State of Being"
Nick Brandt shares the work and motivation behind the camera in his photographs of wildlife and landscape in A Shadow Falls, the second offering in his trilogy on the vanishing East African wild
> Related: Slide Show

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Biotech's Plans to Sustain Agriculture (Preview)
Popular movements may call for more organic methods, but the agricultural industry sees biotechnology as a crucial part of farming's future

VIDEO
Trapped quake victims text rescuers
Rescue workers in quake hit Indonesia say survivors are still calling out for help from underneath the rubbl

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NEWS
Nobel Prize in Physics Goes to Pioneer in Fiber Optics and Inventors of Digital Image Sensor
The three researchers paved the way for broadband telecommunications and the proliferation of digital photography
> Related Podcast: Nobel Prize in Physics

FEATURES
Telomeres, Telomerase and Cancer
The winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine wrote in a February 1996 Scientific American article about an unusual enzyme called telomerase, which acts on parts of chromosomes known as telomeres. It has recently been found in many human tumors and has been eyed as a new target for cancer therapy

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
New Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak and Surrogates Film Director Jonathan Mostow
Jack Szostak, who just shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, talks about his latest research on the origin of life. And Scientific American editor George Musser talks to Jonathan Mostow, director of the new Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller Surrogates

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NEWS
Sun Down: High-Energy Cosmic Rays Reach a Space Age Peak
A prolonged lull in the sun's activity has allowed energetic particles to penetrate the solar system with record intensity

NEWS
Flashy Fungi: Researchers Still in the Dark over Glowing Jungle Mushrooms
If you stumble upon strange lights in the jungle, it might just be glimmering mushrooms

NEWS
Breakthrough: Bone Graft Grown in Exact Shape of Complex Skull-Jaw Joint
Technique could be a preferred substitute for replacing missing or damaged bones with titanium, donated bones or those harvested from elsewhere in a patient's body

NEWS
With Natural Gas Drilling Boom, Pennsylvania Faces Flood of Wastewater
A spate of water contamination problems in Pennsylvania have been linked to new natural gas drilling in the state

OBSERVATIONS
17th-century Brueghel paintings trace the early, mysterious history of the telescope
A pair of researchers from the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste in Italy argue that a partial record of telescopic history resides in the works of Jan Brueghel the Elder

FEATURES
Climate Change Equals Culture Change in the Andes
Melting sacred glaciers and other fundamental changes confront the Andes's Quechua-speaking farmers

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Birth of a Notion: Implicit Social Cognition and the "Birther" Movement
Deeply held beliefs make it easy to accept the absurd

VIDEO
Health workers get H1N1 vaccine
Health care workers in Indiana and Tennessee are among the first people to receive H1N1 flu vaccine in the U.S.

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NEWS
Unraveling the Ribosome: Chemistry Nobel Awarded to Modelers of Cells' Protein-Maker [Update]
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath first determined how to image the ribosome, then revealed how it does its protein-making work
> Related: Nobel Prize in Chemistry

NEWS
Astronomers Discover Solar System's Largest Planetary Ring Yet around Saturn
A diffuse, newfound ring encircles the gas giant planet at an extraordinary distance

NEWS
New Vaccine May Immunize Addicts from Cocaine's Pleasurable Effects
Clinical trial data suggest that although pharmacotherapy for cocaine may be on the horizon, challenges remain

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NEWS
Driving on Glass? Inventor Hopes to Lay Down Solar Roads
U.S. roads paved with glass panels encasing photovoltaics and LEDs would double as national grid

FEATURES
Light-Wave Communications [Reprint]
A winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics wrote in an August 1977 Scientific American article about the first commercial test of light-wave telephone service then underway in Chicago. The signals were dispatched over glass fibers in pulses generated by tiny solid-state light sources

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
What the Experts Still Don't Know
Twenty three world-renowned psychologists write about what they still don't understand about themselves

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Abruptly Forgotten: Working Memory Disappears in a Blink
Certain memories die suddenly rather than fading away

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Nearly extinct black-footed ferret returns to Canada
For the first time in more than 70 years, black-footed ferrets, once thought extinct, are living wild on Canadian soil

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Lost Garden Cities: Pre-Columbian Life in the Amazon (Preview)
The Amazon tropical forest is not as wild as it looks

GREENWIRE
Melting Sea Ice Complicates Polar Bear Habitat Protection?
How will the U.S. government protect the polar bear?

OBSERVATIONS
Uncharted waters: Success!? New Clermont voyage showcases student ingenuity as well as green power
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students traveled up the Hudson River on the New Clermont, a 6.7-meter boat outfitted with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power its motor. The 240-kilometer journey began in Manhattan on September 21 and concluded October 2 in Troy, N.Y. This is the fifth and final blog post chronicling this expedition
> Part 4: Uncharted waters: Blown fuses and other troubles send the New Clermont back to the docks as the team regroups

MIND MATTERS
Illusions: What's in a face?
This is the ninth article in the Mind Matters series on the neuroscience behind visual illusions

VIDEO
Japan's next-generation eco-cars
The current generation cars may be a hard sell, but Japan's top two manufacturers are still thinking about autos for the next one