SciAm Daily Digest

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NEWS
Retrovirus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Could Aid in Diagnosis
Recently implicated in some severe prostate cancer patients, the retrovirus XMRV has now been found in many with chronic fatigue--changing the landscape for diagnosis and possible treatment

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Genome: Now in 3-D!
Researchers report the mapping of the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, and the finding that the cell's nucleus is divided into two regions, one where DNA goes to get expressed

NEWS
Just How Sensitive Is Earth's Climate to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide?
Two new studies look far back in geologic time to determine how sensitive the global climate is to atmospheric CO2 levels

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OBSERVATIONS
Planetary bombardments, past and future: Third dispatch from the annual planets meeting
A sampling of some of the topics that have been discussed at this year's Division for Planetary Sciences meeting, being held this week in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
> Related: What caused Saturn to lurch? Second dispatch from the annual planets meeting

BERING IN MIND
God's in Mississippi, where the gettin' is good
At some point over the course of this human life of yours, you may have noticed that wherever there is a trail of woe, God is curiously afoot

NEWS
Obama's Nuclear Arms Agenda Helps Him Win 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Committee makes controversial choice by giving the nod to a sitting U.S. president in the midst of disarmament negotiations

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Head Lines: Men Are Choosy, Too
Also: Pack Your Bags for Creativity and Confidence Wins over Smarts

OBSERVATIONS
Queen Victoria's curse: New DNA evidence solves medical and murder mysteries
Queen Victoria and many of her progeny carried hemophilia. It has remained unknown precisely what variety of the disease afflicted the family and how many deceased relatives may have had the inherited malady

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
What Is Killing South African Crocs?
Mass deaths of South Africa's Nile crocodiles puzzle biologists
> Slide Show: What Is Killing South African Crocs?

FEATURES
Green Shoots from Brown Fields
Uncle Sam looks to eliminate the biggest hurdle to expanding renewable energy--the need for suitable sites to place commercial-scale wind and solar farms--by reusing hundreds of old mines, landfills and industrial sites

FEATURES
Culinary Ecotourists Turn Wilderness Foraging into Dinner
Harvest gems from the wild, then prepare them in the kitchen

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Solar Decathlon Promotes Sunnier Future
Students vie to be named top decathlete, but the real winners could be homeowners

OBSERVATIONS
Crew of Ocean Watch docks in New York City to share data and stories from voyage around Americas
Manhattan marked mile 9,000 of the 64-foot ship's 25,000-mile voyage

NEWS
Target Audience: NASA's Friday Moon Crash Offers Plenty of Opportunities for Amateur Viewing
The LCROSS probe and a spent rocket stage will each impact a lunar crater to look for frozen water there

VIDEO
Nissan eyes "electric" future
Japan's number three, Nissan Motor, says 10 percent of global cars will be electric by 2020

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NEWS
Pandemic Payoff from 1918: A Weaker H1N1 Flu Today
How the legacy of the vicious 1918 outbreak led to today's comparatively tame swine flu

NEWS
Bye-Bye Birdie: New Look at <i>Archaeopteryx</i> Shows It Was More Dinosaur Than Bird
Microscopic analysis of <i>Archaeopteryx</i> fossils shows that the animal grew to maturity like a dinosaur rather than a modern bird

FEATURES
When the Economy Is in the Red, Are People Really in the Pink?
A recent study finds that economic expansion could be worse for your health than a downturn, revealing a possible upside to today's recession

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NEWS
Economics Nobel Highlights How Social Relationships Explain Certain Economic Activities
Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson win the prize for their analyses of cooperation and conflict in economic governance

NEWS
Research in a Vacuum: DARPA Tries to Tap Elusive Casmir Effect for Breakthrough Technology
DARPA mainly hopes that research on this quantum quirk can produce futuristic microdevices

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Pirate Economics?: Captain Hook Meets Adam Smith
Debunking pirate myths reveals how hidden economic forces generate social order

IMAGE GALLERY
Lava plains bear marks of Mars's volcanic past
The Mars Express Orbiter spies a lava flow from a volcano that may have been active in the past 100 million years

OBSERVATIONS
Is an HPV vaccine for boys cost effective?
Prescribing Gardisil for males, which an FDA advisory panel recently approved, may not be worth the cost

OBSERVATIONS
Yahoo's salvation: Hackers who love its site as much as (or more than) it does
To rejuvenate itself, Yahoo reaches out to the developer community for apps

OBSERVATIONS
LCROSS strikes Earth's moon as other moons continue to puzzle: Fourth dispatch from the annual planets meeting
The LCROSS impact may have been disappointing for TV viewers, but there's plenty of interesting science coming in about all the solar system's moons

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Antioxidants-Diabetes Connection
In a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, some mice given antioxidants were more likely to become diabetic, because free radicals help muscle cells respond to insulin. Karen Hopkin reports.

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IN-DEPTH REPORT
The 2009 Nobel Prizes
Explore the advances that earned this year's crop of Nobelists one of the world's most famous prizes--and in some cases, read about the prizewinning discoveries as chronicled by the researchers themselves in Scientific American
> Related: Ribosome Unraveled: A Q&A with Nobelist Thomas Steitz

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Failing U.S. Government--The Crisis of Public Management [Extended version]
Nothing less than an overhaul of the systems that implement federal policies will suffice

FEATURES
Damming the Yangtze: Are a Few Big Hydropower Projects Better Than a Lot of Small Ones?
China is rushing to build dams along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, in part to protect the Three Gorges Dam, but can such hydropower development be done better?

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OBSERVATIONS
It's all Chinese to me: Dyslexia has big differences in English and Chinese
Chinese dyslexia may be much more complex than the English variety, according to new research

NEWS
Rare Frog Species Bear the Brunt of Chytrid, a Deadly Fungal Disease
Hope for frog conservation got bleaker with a recent study showing that fungus-associated extinction is reducing amphibian biodiversity in Central America
> Related Slide Show: Rare Frog Species Bear the Brunt of Chytrid, a Deadly Fungal Disease

MIND MATTERS
The Chemistry of Information Addiction
A new experiment reveals why we always want to know the answer

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Odd Spider Prefers Salad
In a study in the journal Current Biology, researchers report the discovery of an unusual spider, Bagheera kiplingi, that eschews meat and chews acacia tips
> Related: Unusual Spider Species Passes Up Live Prey for Plants

OBSERVATIONS
Hawaii picks Maui luxury resort as site to test smart-grid technology
The test is expected to reduce peak electricity consumption in this 10.4-square-mile patch of land by 15 percent by 2012

VIDEO
NASA crashes probe into moon
Searching for water, U.S. spacecraft hit the lunar surface successfully--but scientists say it's too early draw conclusions from the data

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NEWS
Sight Unseen: People Blinded by Brain Damage Can Respond to Emotive Expressions
A new study of people with "blindsight," who can only see on an unconscious level, suggests that empathy rather than simple mimicry causes us to mirror the emotions of others

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Celeb Vaccine Wars: Peet Beats Maher
Comedian Bill Maher advises against vaccinations. But actress Amanda Peet--and Dr. Bill Frist--have it right: vaccines are good

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Another Century of Oil? Getting More from Current Reserves (Preview)
Amid warnings of a possible "peak oil," advanced technologies offer ways to extract every last possible drop
> Related: The Other Peak Oil: Demand from Developed World Falling

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Smile! It Could Make You Happier
Making an emotional face--or suppressing one--influences your feelings

IMAGE GALLERY
New Ancient Flying Reptile Discovered
The find promises to answer questions about the evolution of this species and others that have been lingering since Charles Darwin's time

OBSERVATIONS
Hospital error leads to CT scan radiation overdoses in 206 patients
Computed tomography scan patients were given eight times the normal of radiation during brain scans over an 18-month period

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
How much did the U.S. spend in 2007 to protect endangered species?
The vast majority of species received less than $100,000 in conservation funds for the year. Seven species got $100 or less

OBSERVATIONS
What do we really know about the Kuiper Belt? Fifth dispatch from the annual planets meeting
A sampling of some of the topics that have been discussed at this year's Division for Planetary Sciences meeting

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
It's Funny Because It's True
New research proves that the things we find funny often reveal somewhat hidden beliefs we hold

IMAGE GALLERY
Close-up view shows Saturn's moons reshaping the planet's rings
NASA's Cassini spacecraft was on hand in August to observe Saturn's latest equinox up close

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NEWS
Stem Cells from Fat Used to Grow Teen's Missing Facial Bones
Surgeons report success in first human bone growth procedure using fat stem cells--with no culturing necessary

OBSERVATIONS
Should advanced dementia be considered a terminal illness?
Often treated as an amalgamation of symptoms in aging, a new study proposes that dementia should be seen as a deadly illness

NEWS
Exotic Quasicrystal Structures May Be More Normal Than Assumed
Different nanoparticles can self-assemble into complex quasicrystal arrangements

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Climate Change May Mean Slower Winds
The wind power industry requires stiff gusts. Global warming may not deliver

OBSERVATIONS
Burning bunnies for biofuel?
Sweden also ships dead cats, cows, deer and horses to the plant for processing. So, say your pwayers, wabbit

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
Brain Enhancement: October Issue of Scientific American
In this episode Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina discusses the contents of the October issue of Scientific American, including articles on brain enhancement, lost cities of the Amazon and a century-old plan to make subway rides more entertaining

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
U.S. Protection for endangered penguins still pending
There are good reasons to protect penguins under the Endangered Species Act--even if they don't live in the U.S. or its territories

OBSERVATIONS
Silent but deadly? Electric cars may be too quiet for pedestrian safety
One option being floated is that of "car tones" to make up for the missing engine noise

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Bird Moves: Dancing with the Starlings
Birds' rhythmic abilities offer clues to the origins of dance

GREENWIRE
Is the Bluefin Tuna an Endangered Species?
The United Nations will consider a ban on international trade of the prized fish due to plummeting numbers in the Atlantic and Mediterranean

VIDEO
Clothes no cover for airport scanner
A human x-ray machine which produces "naked" images of passengers is being tested at an airport in the U.K.

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NEWS
New Software Could Smooth Supercomputing Speed Bumps
Researchers turn to the Open Computing Language as a way to get graphics and general-purpose computer processors on the same page for more powerful number crunching

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Beating Heart Tissue from Stem Cells
Researchers explain how they used mouse embryonic stem cells and microchip technology to create heart muscle tissue that actually beats

OBSERVATIONS
Scabby knaves: Barnacles bind to ships using clotlike glue
A new analysis of the cement reveals that it has many of the same properties as a human blood coagulant, which helps to form scabs

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How to Get More Bicyclists on the Road
To boost urban bicycling, figure out what women want

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Carbonation Has a Taste
Researchers found that the taste buds for sensing sour also respond to carbonation, because the fizz gets turned into chemical components, one of which is protons--basically simple, sour acid

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
DNA could offer captive-breeding alternative to snow leopard studbook
Researchers hope to come up with an alternative breeding program that will rely on DNA instead of family trees

OBSERVATIONS
Mathematician sees a Yankees-Dodgers World Series
But don't pop that bubbly yet

IMAGE GALLERY
Active Star Formation Revealed in Nearby Barnard's Galaxy
Irregular dwarf galaxies like Barnard's get their bloblike forms from close encounters with other galaxies

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Calendar: Mind events in September and October
Museum exhibits, conferences and events relating to the brain

OBSERVATIONS
T-minus 18 months and counting
Virgin Galactic and the future of space tourism

VIDEO
Ribosome Revelations: A Conversation with Nobelist Ramakrish
One of the 2009 Nobel Prize winners in chemistry describes his efforts to decipher the structure of the ribosome--and confesses he would probably flunk an undergraduate chemistry exam

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NEWS
Energy Out of the Blue: Generating Electric Power from the Clash of River and Sea Water
Two pilot projects are testing the potential of "salt power," a renewable energy that relies on the differing salinities at river mouths to make watts

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Brain's Speech Center Finally Talks
In a study in the journal Science, researchers analyzed the inner workings of Broca's area, long known as the brain's speech center, in pre-op brain surgery patients

OBSERVATIONS
Evolution details revealed through 21-year E. coli experiment
40,000 generations of bacteria reveal new details about the differences between adaptive and random genetic changes during evolution

NEWS
Sating the Ravenous Brain: Researchers Quell Hunger Neurons in Fruit Flies
Researchers pinpoint an area in the drosophila brain that can trick hungry insects into believing they are full, offering hope for new weight-loss remedies in humans

NEWS
Rare Procedure Pinpoints the Location, Speed and Sequence of the Brain's Language Processes
Implanted electrodes in brains of presurgery patients show in real-time how Broca's area organizes language from perception to sound in milliseconds

OBSERVATIONS
Can the world's richest man feed the planet?
Bill Gates has called for a second Green Revolution--this one focused on African farmers

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Sunny Germans Triumph in U.S. Solar Decathlon
The European country--not known for its abundant sunshine--has become the world leader in solar know-how

GREENWIRE
Impacts of Global Biofuel Boom Remain Murky
The United Nations Environment Programme finds research into biofuels impacts on dead zones, biodiversity and a range of other environmental issues lacking

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IN-DEPTH REPORT
Galileo and the International Year of Astronomy
A look at the legacy of Galileo Galilei, 400 years after the Italian astronomer turned his spyglass to the heavens
> Related: An Astronomer's Astronomer: Kepler's Revolutionary Achievements in 1609 Rival Galileo's

OBSERVATIONS
Medical marijuana no longer a priority for federal prosecution
The change in enforcement does not alter the U.S.'s position on other possession and distribution cases

NEWS
Beautiful, Safe, Affordable--And It Gets 100 Mpg: X PRIZE Picks Next Round of Automotive Contestants
Contest aims to award $10-million prize to the best new automotive design, and gives a glimpse of what the energy-efficient car of the future may look like--and what will power it

OBSERVATIONS
Geoengineering wars: Another scientist teases out a surprising effect of global deforestation
A new and unpublished analysis of a hypothetical scheme to mitigate global warming via radical deforestation

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Web Boosts Grandpa's Brain
In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers reported that older adults exposed to Web surfing for the first time showed increased brain activity in regions associated with language and working memory

NEWS
Lard Lesson: Why Fat Lubricates Your Appetite
Saturated fat dulls the brain's response to key appetite hormones, an effect useful in our evolutionary past during times of scarcity, but not so much in a well-fed society

OBSERVATIONS
Dozens of discoveries vault known exoplanet tally over 400
The real payoff--an Earth-like exoplanet--may have to wait until 2012 or 2013 when NASA's Kepler spacecraft will have logged enough time in its dedicated search for planetary transits to amass solid evidence of a distant terrestrial world

NEWS
A Loopy Idea That Works: Using Telecoils to Turn Hearing Aids into Mini Loudspeakers
Hearing aids equipped with induction loops can deliver sounds broadcast from microphones and PA systems directly to the ears. Advocates say it's an underutilized technology in the U.S.

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Poachers still killing 100 elephants daily in Africa
The International Fund for Animal Welfare is calling for a complete ban ivory sales for the next 20 years, in hopes of destroying the market for legal and illegal ivory

MIND MATTERS
Getting it Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn
New research makes the case for hard tests, and suggests an unusual technique that anyone can use to learn

OBSERVATIONS
Can Google Earth save an indigenous tribe with maps?
Google Earth Outreach embarked on a collaboration with the Amazon Conservation Team to keep tabs on nearby clear-cutting while recording aspects of the tribe's land and daily life in hopes of drawing attention to their struggle

GREENWIRE
What is the Real Cost of Power Production?
Market prices don't reflect hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden costs of energy production to human health and the environment

VIDEO
U.K. climate protest, scores arrested
At least 80 people are arrested at a protest at a power station in England

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NEWS
Researchers Create an Electromagnetic "Black Hole" the Size of a Salad Plate
A collection of metamaterial rings efficiently absorbs microwave radiation the way black holes gobble up matter and light, and an optical-light analogue may not be far behind

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
What Our Stuff Says about Us
Psychologist Sam Gosling from the University of Texas reveals what we can predict about personalities by just looking at their stuff

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Two Eyes, Two Views: Your Brain and Depth Perception
Insights into the nuances of depth perception provided by our two eyes' slightly different views of the world

FEATURES
Galileo's Contradiction: The Astronomer Who Riled the Inquisition Fathered 2 Nuns
A Q&A with author Dava Sobel
> Related: Galileo and the International Year of Astronomy

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Light All Night Not Alright
In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers found that mice that were exposed to light all night long showed signs of depression

NATURE
Total recall achieved
Researchers have developed a way to activate a small subset of the neural circuit underlying a specific memory. This, in turn, triggered the rest of the circuit to recall the memory

OBSERVATIONS
Brain fest marks a gathering of the tribes
The Society for Neuroscience, like Woodstock, just marked its 40th birthday

NATURE
Darwin's geological mystery solved
Charles Darwin was puzzled by the odd arrangement of boulders on the South American coast

VIDEO
H1N1 vaccine delays persist in U.S.
The companies making the H1N1 virus vaccine are behind schedule as the virus spreads

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NEWS
Global Child Immunizations at All-Time High, Despite Rising Costs
A new report highlights the success of worldwide vaccine and immunization programs, but cautions about continued challenges and high costs

OBSERVATIONS
Spooky new spider weaves monster webs
The new species of giant golden orb weaver, which builds meter-wide webs, entangled a doctoral student who stumbled upon a specimen in a museum collection

NEWS
"Albedo Yachts" and Marine Clouds: A Cure for Climate Change?
A deep dive into one of the least scary geoengineering schemes to control global warming

OBSERVATIONS
FDA to beef up standards for "health" food labeling
Some labels claiming foods are "smart choices" or "heart healthy" are patently misleading, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

FEATURES
Mary Anning and the Birth of Paleontology
The daughter of a cabinetmaker and amateur fossil collector, Anning made her mark in the budding field of paleontology in early 19th-century England through the discovery of the first complete plesiosaur fossil

OBSERVATIONS
Allegations of spying and links to terrorism land scientists in hot water
A European particle physicist and a U.S. space scientist have been accused of alleged links to terrorism and attempted spying, respectively

FEATURES
Editing Scientists: Science and Policy at the White House
How much do policymakers shape the science that comes out of government agencies?

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Red Wine with Fish? Iron-ic Answer
Researchers found that red wine only clashes with fish if the wine has high levels of iron

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How the Internet is Changing the Way We Will Watch TV (Preview)
The Internet stands ready to upend the television viewing experience, but exactly how is a matter of considerable dispute

OBSERVATIONS
How much are coral ecosystems worth? Try $172 billion--A year
This week, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition seeking to protect 83 coral species that live in U.S. coastal waters under the Endangered Species Act

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Scientists Behind the Stories at Scientific American
Introducing the new board of advisers that serve as expert sources to our magazine

OBSERVATIONS
Unraveling the brain's secrets: Humility required
It was apparent at the Society for Neuroscience meeting that the field of neuroscience maintains a simmering sense of awe at the magnitude of challenges posed by the brain and the behaviors it induces

OBSERVATIONS
Happy (25 x 3 - 1)th birthday to Martin Gardner
Longtime Scientific American columnist Martin Gardner turned 95 Wednesday

IMAGE GALLERY
NASA's new rocket ready for test launch despite iffy future
The rocket, targeted to launch October 27, is a test vehicle for Ares 1, which would carry astronauts to orbit via the Constellation program

VIDEO
Beijing starts mass H1N1 flu shots
Beijing begins mass H1N1 flu vaccination for five million residents, as the government warns of a second wave of the outbreak

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NEWS
Jock the Vote: Election Outcomes Affect Testosterone Levels in Men
Man is by nature a political animal, according to Aristotle. Now it appears that political contests can biologically affect the nature of males--namely their testosterone levels

OBSERVATIONS
Microsoft Windows 7 has arrived...to mixed reviews
Although it's no PC panacea, at least it's not a repeat of the mistakes Microsoft made with Vista, which was launched in January 2007

NEWS
Hurricane Forcing: Can Tropical Cyclones Be Stopped?
New details on Bill Gates's hurricane-alteration scheme haven't convinced some scientists that it's likely to succeed

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Less Fungus among Us Warm-Blooded
A study finds that one major advantage of being warm-blooded is that the great majority of fungi cannot infect us

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Why Don't Babies Talk Like Adults? (Preview)
Kids go from goo-goo to garrulous one step at a time

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
How City Noise Is Reshaping Birdsong
Urban bird dwellers change their song over time to help the them be heard over the big city noises

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Nerd a Vacation?: Travel with The Geek Atlas
New book serves as a science history sightseeing guide

SOLAR AT HOME
Solar snafu: The contractor finally installs the panels, but goofs
We'd started the process of installing solar panels in February. The red tape for the state and utility subsidies took to the end of May. Then we had to get our roof restored, which added a couple of months. In early July, I told myself, the wait was over. How wrong I was

VIDEO
Japan's H1N1 flu simulator
Japan, home to cyborgs and robots that work or play, is host this week to a humanlike simulator with H1N1 flu symptoms

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MULTIMEDIA
Powering a Green Planet: Sustainable Energy, Made Interactive
A Web-only, rich-media special presentation of the feature "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030" that appears in the November 2009 issue of Scientific American, created by iFlypMedia.com

SCIENCE TALK PODCAST
Human Evolution: Lucy and Neandertals
Anthropologist Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London talks about Neandertals. And Scientific American's Kate Wong, co-author with Donald Johanson of Lucy's Legacy, talks about the discovery and impact of the famous Lucy fossil

GREENWIRE
Does Economics Violate the Laws of Physics?
Some academics hope that a set of theories they call "biophysical economics" will improve on neoclassical economic theory, or even replace it altogether

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Household Hints to Halt Heating
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that Americans could easily cut carbon emissions by more than France's entire output

VIDEO
Controversy over three mummified Incan children
An international argument brews over how three Incan children were killed when they were sacrificed 500 years ago

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
A Plan to Power 100 Percent of the Planet with Renewables (Preview)
Wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world's energy, eliminating all fossil fuels. Here's how

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Discordant decisions: A protected habitat is proposed for endangered polar bears
Meanwhile, oil drilling is approved nearby

NEWS
Can a Number Solve the Climate Change Conundrum?
Organizers of 350 Day aim to stabilize the planet and prevent disaster. Turns out many more are paying attention than expected

SCIAM EXCLUSIVES VIDEO
Climate Change: The Melting Himalayas
With poor countries being the most affected, but the worst equipped to deal with climate change, Anjali Nayar hiked for 21 days in northern Bhutan to see how this tiny Himalayan nation is dealing with rapidly melting glaciers

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EXTREME TECH
Staying Out of a Jam: Air Force Looks at Nanotube Sheets for Electromagnetic Shielding
Strong, lightweight materials made from nanotubes could protect aircraft and satellites from harmful electromagnetic interference

MIND MATTERS
The Root of Thought: What Do Glial Cells Do?
Nearly 90 percent of the brain is composed of glial cells, not neurons. Andrew Koob argues that these overlooked cells just might be the source of the imagination

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Dieting and the TV-to-Treadmill Ratio
A study finds that the ratio of TV sets to exercise equipment in the home is predictive of weight loss success

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
The Future of Climate Policy Could Be Found in Copenhagen
The U.S. can lead the world to a historic emissions agreement by committing to its own sweeping energy transformation

OBSERVATIONS
Why Johnny can't hypothesize: A discussion about math and science education
Research and experience have shown that even more than good schools, good teachers are key to improving individual students' learning

NEWS
Polar Perspective: NASA DC-8 Monitors Antarctica's Meltdown from the Skies
Flights aim to record and understand rapid melting in Antarctica, Greenland

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
New tools in the fight against frog-killing fungus available online
Knowing how the chytrid fungus kills is important, but identifying it before it spreads to new populations is even more vital

SOLAR AT HOME
First light! Panels start producing power, but paperwork drags on
The electrician finished wiring up the inverter and flipped the switch, and I spent much of the day running to the basement and checking the inverter to confirm that the sun was indeed powering our house Related Blog: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/ ... D_20091027 Related News: http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... D_20091027

OBSERVATIONS
What Galileo and Scientific American have in common: Honored Italian heritage
One of the committee's honorees in light of Galileo's contributions to science was Mariette DiChristina, acting editor in chief of Scientific American and Scientific American Mind

NEWS
Sustainability in Daily Life
Creative ways to learn, take action and participate

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
How Women Can Save the Planet
Empowering young women through education will help reduce overpopulation in areas that cannot support it and avoid extremism in the children they raise

NEWS
What Are the Dangers of Drilling for Natural Gas?
A new environmental review from New York State details some of the issues surrounding drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale

VIDEO
NASA ready to test Ares 1-X rocket
NASA is preparing to launch its Ares 1-X rocket, but concerns about bad weather could delay liftoff

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NEWS
Polarized Peepers: Crustacean's Eyes Surpass Man-Made Optical Devices in Manipulating Light
A species of mantis shrimp, thanks to a unique eye structure, can perceive light that is circularly polarized

OBSERVATIONS
Could too many home workers during a pandemic cripple the Internet?
A government report warns that an emergency that keeps people confined to their homes--such as a worsened H1N1 pandemic--could render the Internet useless for communicating and conducting transactions vital to public safety and the economy

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Novel Analysis Confirms Climate "Hockey Stick" Graph
A new analysis creates a better look at rising temperatures

60-SECOND PSYCH PODCAST
A Pretty Face or a Hot Body?
When pursuing a mate for a short-term relationship are we more interested in the face or the body? How about for a long-term relationship?

OBSERVATIONS
Plastic, plastic everywhere, nor any bite to eat
Pacific albatrosses feast on garbage patch offerings

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Clean Smell Promotes Good Deeds
A study finds that people in a room recently sprayed with citrus-scented cleanser were fairer and more generous than a control group

GREENWIRE
Contentious Senate Hearings Begin on Climate Bill
Disagreement over economic impact looms large

OBSERVATIONS
Medicine Looks Ahead at TED MED
The TED MED conference looked at TED's (technology, entertainment, design) potential for techniques involved in the field of synthetic life to improve medicine
> Related: Why your doctor should know where you have lived

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NEWS
Astronomical Artifact: Most Distant Object Yet Detected Carries Clues from Early Universe
A stellar explosion spotted in April took place 13 billion years ago

60-SECOND SCIENCE PODCAST
Resuscitating Lungs for Transplant
A study details a new procedure for making damaged, donated lungs functional, potentially doubling the number of lungs available for transplant

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
What Does a Smart Brain Look Like?: Inner Views Show How We Think
A new neuroscience of intelligence is revealing that not all brains work in the same way

OBSERVATIONS
NASA's Ares 1-X test rocket lifts off successfully
The exercise tested components for Ares 1, a rocket that is set to begin ferrying astronauts to orbit in the next decade--unless NASA shifts crew-launch duties to private space companies
> Related Video: NASA Launches Ares 1-X

60-SECOND EARTH PODCAST
Can the World's Most Polluted Places Ever Be Cleaned?
From phasing out leaded gasoline to minimizing mercury poisoning, the answer appears to be yes

OBSERVATIONS
Controversial caterpillar-evolution study formally rebutted
A contentious paper suggesting that butterflies and caterpillars descended from different ancestors has been repudiated in the same journal in which the original research appeared

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND
Smart Set: Exploring Intelligence in the Brain
Acting Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina introduces the November/December issue of Scientific American MIND

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE
Burying Climate Change: Carbon Gets Stuffed Underground
Efforts begin to sequester carbon dioxide

OBSERVATIONS
TED MED: Bringing Medicine Home for Better Care
The TED MED conference looked at TED's (technology, entertainment, design) potential for techniques involved in the field of synthetic life to improve medicine
> Related: Medicine looks ahead at TED MED
> Related: Why your doctor should know where you have lived

GREENWIRE
House and Senate Prevent "Cow Tax"
Flatulence to remain unregulated

OBSERVATIONS
Countdown to Copenhagen
Despite doubts about a treaty, 2009 is shaping up as pivotal year for renewable energy

EXTINCTION COUNTDOWN
Britain's rare birds get more common, as common birds get rarer
Amid this conservation success, 40 percent of Britain's common birds have seen their populations contract