
Beam Weapons Get Real
Solid-state lasers near battlefield deployment
Steven Ashley is a freelance science-technology writer and editor.

Beam Weapons Get Real
Solid-state lasers near battlefield deployment

Natural Gas Rockets
Methane-fueled engines go on the ascent

Diesels Come Clean
Improved engines and exhaust scrubbers, combined with a new fuel, willmake energy-efficient diesels nearly as green as hybrids

Power Walker
Nothing could match the Segway's initial hype, but how far has it come since?

GM Resurrects Its Electric Car (with Tweaks)
With the unveiling of its new electric concept car--the Chevrolet Volt-- GM resuscitates an electric car program that died with the canceled EV-1

Real Stinkers Reformed
Malodorous but useful chemicals now smell sweet

On the Road to Green
Chemists and automakers mark progress toward environmentally benign fuels and vehicles

Muscling Up Color
Polymer splits light for true color in displays

Mach 3 Hunter-Killer
An advanced turbine design for versatile missiles

A New Take on Hybrids
Former skeptics develop an alternative hybrid system

Enhanced Armor
New shields to fend off evolving battlefield threats

Sharp Shooter
Sony's R1 Combines Near Pro-Quality Images With Live Preview

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

Bouncy Proteins
Synthetic version of insect super-rubber springs forth

New Aircraft, Big and Small
A 570-metric-ton mammoth and a craft that burns alcohol are now flying

Silicon Sniffer
Dime-size detector to fight bomb attacks

Heavenly Music in Your Hand
Portable satellite radio is a palmtop cornucopia of music

Making Light of Silicon
Finally, lasers from the low-cost semiconductor

Solid (State) Progress
Hydrogen-fuel storage for cars gets a materials boost

Aerial Base Station
Trying again: stratospheric airships for communications

On the Road to Fuel-Cell Cars
Although fleets of fuel-cell prototypes are hitting the streets, basic technical and market obstacles must be hurdled before the clean, hydrogen-powered cars reach dealer showrooms

A Bad Fix for Hubble?
Robotic repair may be riskier than first thought

Firing on Half-Cylinders
Turning V-8s into V-4s may yield the fastest fuel savings

Penny-wise Smart Labels
If smart tags cost only one cent apiece, they would be everywhere