W. Wayt Gibbs is a contributing editor for Scientific American based in Seattle. He also works as a scientific editor at Intellectual Ventures.
Hi-Tech Helmet Heads Off Stroke Damage
A helmet placed on the head of a stroke victim sends low-intensity microwaves through the brain to quickly determine whether a blockage or hemorrhage is taking place, making faster treatment possible. Wayt Gibbs reports
New Views of the Brain [Slide Show]
Scientists are charting the paths of individual neurons as well as the activity of individual genes
These Tips Can Drive You up the Wall
Physics students at the University of Leicester in the U.K. worked out the principles for keeping a speeding race car in control on a vertical curved wall. Wayt Gibbs reports
The Inner Workings of a Cybernetic Cell
A video plays back data recorded from the first software able to simulate an entire living organism
Triple-Threat Method Sparks Hope for Nuclear Fusion Energy
The secrets to its success are lasers, magnets and a big pinch
Making Liquids Go Bipolar
It takes a lab to make a perfect salad dressing
Microwave Math That Einstein Would Have Loved
New physics tricks for the most underestimated of kitchen appliances
Spherical Eats
The chemistry of encased mussels and other edible orbs
Cooking That Sucks
Vacuum pumps in the kitchen
Cryogenic Cooking
Liquid nitrogen can transform oil, berries and even hamburgers
Ultrasonic French Fries
Smooth and crispy
Material Poet
An artist trained in science talks about "cloning" million-year-old glaciers
A New View of Food and Cooking [Slide Show]
Take visual tour through the scientific phenomena at work in the kitchen—and explore the new world of high-tech, science-inspired cuisine
A New Spin on Cooking
Chefs are turning to lab equipment to perfect their consommés
Beer Batter Is Better
How it makes a great fish 'n' chips
The Science of Sous Vide
How underwater cooking differs from the broiler method
The Incredible, Edible Foam--and the Mysterious Mathematics behind It
Mathematicians are still struggling to understand what happens atop your morning cappuccino
How Hackers Can Steal Secrets from Reflections
Information thieves can now go around encryption, networks and the operating system
Plan B for Energy: 8 Revolutionary Energy Sources
If efficiency improvements and incremental advances in today's technologies fail to halt global warming, could revolutionary new carbon-free energy sources save the day? Don't count on it—but don't count it out, either
Evolution in a Bottle: Synthetic Life Oozes Closer to Reality
Self-replicating RNAs advance science another step toward artificial life
Untangling the Roots of Cancer
Recent evidence challenges long-held theories of how cells turn malignant--and suggests new ways to stop tumors before they spread
Innovations from a Robot Rally
The Grand Challenge competition spurred advances in laser sensing, computer vision and autonomous navigation--not to mention a thrilling race for the 2-million prize
Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic?
Dissenting researchers accuse government and medical authorities--as well as the media--of misleading the public about the health consequences of rising body weights
Plan B for Energy
If efficiency improvements and incremental advances in today's technologies fail to halt global warming, could revolutionary new carbon-free energy sources save the day? Don't count on it--but don't count it out, either