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This reduction of time to money may extend Franklin's observation to an absurd extreme. But the commodification of time is genuine-and results from a radical alteration in how we view the passage of events. Our fundamental human drives have not changed from the Paleolithic era, hundreds of thousands of years ago. Much of what we are about centers on the same impulses to eat, procreate, fight or flee that motivated Fred Flintstone. Despite the constancy of these primal urges, human culture has experienced upheaval after upheaval in the period since our hunter-gatherer forebears roamed the savannas. Perhaps the most profound change in the long transition from Stone Age to information age revolves around our subjective experience of time.

But what is time? Physicists and philosophers have grappled with the question. So, too, have biologists and anthropologists. This special issue explores their musings. --The Editors

Real Time by Gary Stix
The pace of living quickens continuously, yet a full understanding of things temporal still eludes us.

That Mysterious Flow by Paul Davies
From the fixed past to the tangible present to the undecided future, it feels as though time flows inexorably on. But that is an illusion.

A Hole at the Heart of Physics by George Musser
Physicists can't seem to find the time-literally. Can philosophers help?

How to Build a Time Machine by Paul Davies
It wouldn't be easy, but it might be possible.

Time and the Twin Paradox by Ronald C. Lasky
Does time tick by at the same rate for everyone?

From Instantaneous to Eternal by David Labrador
The units of time range from the infinitesimally brief to the interminably long. The descriptions given here attempt to convey a sense of this vast chronological span.

Times of Our Lives by Karen Wright
Whether they're counting minutes, months or years, biological clocks help keep our brains and bodies running on schedule.

Remembering When by Antonio R. Damasio
Several brain structures contribute to "mind time," organizing our experiences into chronologies of remembered events.

Clocking Cultures by Carol Ezzell
What is time? The answer varies from society to society.

A Chronicle of Timekeeping by William J. H. Andrewes
Our conception of time depends on the way we measure it.

Ultimate Clocks by W. Wayt Gibbs
Atomic clocks are shrinking to microchip size, heading for space-and approaching the limits of useful precision.

Inconstant Constants by John D. Barrow and John K. Webb
Do the inner workings of nature change with time?

The Myth of the Beginning of Time by Gabriele Veneziano
String theory suggests that the big bang was not the origin of the universe but simply the outcome of a preexisting state.

Atoms of Space and Time by Lee Smolin
We perceive space and time to be continuous, but if the amazing theory of loop quantum gravity is correct, they actually come in discrete pieces.