Features

• The Limits of Reason

  Ideas on complexity and randomness originally suggested by Gottfried W. Leibniz in 1686, combined with modern information theory, imply that there can never be a "theory of everything" for all of mathematics

  Gregory Chaitin   | March 1, 2006  |

• Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes

  A handful of genes that control the body's defenses during hard times can also dramatically improve health and prolong life in diverse organisms. Understanding how they work may reveal the keys to extending human life span while banishing diseases of old age

  David A. Sinclair and Lenny Guarente   | March 1, 2006  | 1

• Cognitive Radio

  Smart radios and other new wireless devices will avoid transmission bottlenecks by switching instantly to nearby frequencies that they sense are clear

  Steven Ashley   | March 1, 2006  | 2

• The Elusive Goal of Machine Translation

  Statistical methods hold the promise of moving computerized translation out of the doldrums

  Gary Stix   | March 1, 2006  |

• Shielding Space Travelers

  The perils of cosmic rays pose severe, perhaps insurmountable, hurdles to human spaceflight to Mars and beyond

  Eugene N. Parker   | March 1, 2006  |

• The Dangers of Ocean Acidification

  Much of the carbon dioxide given off from the burning of fossil fuels goes into the ocean, where it changes the acid balance of seawater. The repercussions for marine life may be enormous

  Scott C. Doney   | March 1, 2006  | 3

• Little Green Molecules

  Chemists have invented a new class of catalysts that can destroy some of the worst pollutants before they get into the environment

  Terrence J. Collins and Chip Walter   | March 1, 2006  |