Features

• Recognition Engines

  New computer designs process networked "streams" of data for better spam and virus detection

  Gary Stix   | January 1, 2006  |

• Innovations from a Robot Rally

  This year's Grand Challenge competition spurred advances in laser sensing, computer vision and autonomous navigation-not to mention a thrilling race for the $2-million prize

  W. Wayt Gibbs   | January 1, 2006  | 1

• The Mystery of Brown Dwarf Origins

  By throwing a wrench into the theories of planet and star formation, brown dwarfs may help fix them

  Subhanjoy Mohanty and Ray Jayawardhana   | January 1, 2006  |

• The Maternal Brain

  Pregnancy and motherhood change the structure of the female mammal's brain, making mothers attentive to their young and better at caring for them

  Craig Howard Kinsley and Kelly G. Lambert   | January 1, 2006  |

• Protecting More Than Animals

  Reducing animal suffering often has the unexpected benefit of yielding more rigorous safety tests

  Alan M. Goldberg and Thomas Hartung   | January 1, 2006  |

• Genomes for All

  Next-generation technologies that make reading DNA fast, cheap and widely accessible are coming in less than a decade. Their potential to revolutionize research and bring about the era of truly personalized medicine means the time to start preparing is now

  George M. Church   | January 1, 2006  |

• Tsunami: Wave of Change

  In the tragic aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, scientists and warning centers are now better equipped to forecast and model these monstrous waves

  Eric L. Geist, Vasily V. Titov and Costas E. Synolakis   | January 1, 2006  | 1