Features

• The Midlife Crisis of the Cosmos

  Although it is not as active as it used to be, the universe is still forming stars and building black holes at an impressive pace

  Amy J. Barger   | January 1, 2005  |

• Immunity's Early-Warning System

  The innate immune response constitutes the first line of defense against invading microbes and plays a role in inflammatory disease. Surprising insights into how this system operates could lead to new therapies for a host of infectious and immune-related disorders

  Luke A. J. O'Neill   | January 1, 2005  |

• Exploding the Self-Esteem Myth

  Boosting people's sense of self-worth has become a national preoccupation. Yet surprisingly, researchshows that such efforts are of little value in fostering academic progress or preventing undesirable behavior

  Roy F. Baumeister, Jennifer D. Campbell, Joachim I. Krueger and Kathleen D. Vohs   | January 1, 2005  | 5

• Capturing a Killer Flu Virus

  Jeffery K. Taubenberger, Ann H. Reid and Thomas G. Fanning   | January 1, 2005  |

• Eye of the Beholder

  Wonders under the lens of the optical microscope

  Emily Harrison   | January 1, 2005  |

• Best-Kept Secrets

  Quantum cryptography has marched from theory to laboratory to real products

  Gary Stix   | January 1, 2005  |

• Considerate Computing

  Digital gadgets demand ever more of our attention with their rude and thoughtless interruptions. Engineers are now testing computers, phones and cars that sense when you're busy and spare you from distraction

  W. Wayt Gibbs   | January 1, 2005  |