EnvironmentSeptember 1, 2006
A Climate Repair Manual
Global warming is a reality. Innovation in energy technology and policy are sorely needed if we are to cope
Stories by Gary Stix
Gary Stix, formerly senior editor of mind and brain topics at Scientific American, edited and reported on emerging advances that have propelled brain science to the forefront of the biological sciences. Stix has edited or written cover stories, feature articles and news on diverse topics, ranging from what happens in the brain when a person is immersed in thought to the impact of brain implant technology that alleviates mood disorders such as depression. Before taking over the neuroscience beat, Stix, as Scientific American's special projects editor, was responsible for the magazine's annual single-topic special issues, conceiving of and producing issues on Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, climate change and nanotechnology. One special issue he oversaw on the topic of time in all of its manifestations won a National Magazine Award. With his wife Miriam Lacob, Stix is co-author of a technology primer called Who Gives a Gigabyte? A Survival Guide for the Technologically Perplexed.
Public HealthJune 1, 2006
A New Assault on HIV
The constant search for weak points in the virus yields ideas for a wholly new class of drug
HealthMay 1, 2006
Blockbuster Dreams
New understanding of the biology behind a successful cancer therapy may lead to a drug that can treat an array of solid tumors
HealthApril 1, 2006
An Antibiotic Resistance Fighter
A compound that tweaks a pivotal protein may quell development of antibiotic resistance
TechnologyMarch 1, 2006
The Elusive Goal of Machine Translation
Statistical methods hold the promise of moving computerized translation out of the doldrums
The SciencesFebruary 1, 2006
Real time
The pace of living quickens continuously, yet a full understanding of things temporal still eludes us
The SciencesFebruary 1, 2006
Owning the Stuff of Life
Patents on DNA have not caused the severe disruption of biomedical research and societal norms anticipated by critics. But the deluge may be yet to come
TechnologyJanuary 1, 2006
Recognition Engines
New computer designs process networked "streams" of data for better spam and virus detection
EnvironmentDecember 1, 2005
A Force for Change
China's homegrown NGOs serve as the nation's environmental conscience
HealthNovember 1, 2005
The Land of Milk and Money
The first drug from a transgenic animal may be nearing approval
TechnologyOctober 1, 2005
Better Than a Dog
The search is on for a sensor that bests a canine at detecting explosives
HealthOctober 1, 2005
Heavy-Metal Sweat
Does an infrared sauna really detoxify the body?
TechnologyJuly 1, 2005
Shrinking Circuits with Water
Semiconductor manufacturers are giving their products a dousing in the name of faster, smaller, cheaper
The SciencesJune 27, 2005
Engineering Aside the Morality
Researchers ponder how to procure ES cells without destroying embryos
TechnologyMay 1, 2005
Molecular Treasure Hunt
A software tool elicits previously undiscovered gene or protein pathways by combing through hundreds of thousands of journal articles
HealthApril 1, 2005
A Toxin against Pain
For years, scientists have promised a new wave of drugs derived from sea life. A recently approved analgesic that is a synthetic version of a snail toxin has become one of the first marine pharmaceuticals
HealthMarch 1, 2005
Off Target
TechnologyFebruary 1, 2005
Nanotubes in the Clean Room
Talismans of a thousand graduate projects may soon make their way into electronic memories
TechnologyJanuary 1, 2005
Best-Kept Secrets
Quantum cryptography has marched from theory to laboratory to real products
The SciencesDecember 1, 2004
Geographer of the Male Genome
The notion of the Y sex chromosome as a genetic wasteland still entices biologists. David C. Page has spent a good part of his career knocking down that myth
The SciencesOctober 1, 2004
Hitting the Genetic Off Switch
A host of start-ups is speeding development of a new class of drugs that block the action of RNA
The SciencesSeptember 1, 2004
The Patent Clerk's Legacy
In 1905 the musings of a functionary in the Swiss patent office changed the world forever. His intellectual bequest remains for a new generation of physicists vying to concoct a theory of everything
TechnologyJuly 1, 2004
Overcoming Self
A company tries to turn the immune system against cancer
TechnologyJuly 1, 2004
If It's Broke, Fix It
Two economists propose solutions for patent system reform