July 19, 2011

Welcome back to Too Hard For Science?

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Welcome to the new home of "Too Hard For Science?" In this series, I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as neutrino detectors as big as a galaxy, or they might be completely unethical, such as experimenting on children like lab rats. This feature aims to look at the seemingly impossible dreams, the most intractable problems in science. However, the question mark at the end of "Too Hard For Science?" suggests that nothing might be impossible.

I'll have a new post in the series at noon today and will hopefully be posting new items in the series every week. In the meantime, here are the original posts, in chronological order:

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Vladimir Mironov: Making astronauts with printers

Robert Stickgold: The sense of meaning in dreams

Jeanne Garbarino: The adventures of a biomolecule in a cell

Martin Bojowald: Creating naked singularities

Philip Zimbardo: Creating millions of heroes

Duncan Watts: A digital panopticon

David Brin: Raising Animals to Human Levels of Intelligence

Greg Valentine: Recreating What Killed Pompeii

Dean Kamen: Defying Gravity

Luis Bettencourt: Simulating the Human Brain

Freeman Dyson: ESP

Bora Zivkovic: Centuries to Solve the Secrets of Cicadas

John Tonry: An Early Warning System for Killer Asteroids

David Stevenson: Journey to the Core of the Earth

E. O. Wilson: A Vertical Map of Life on Earth

Klaus Zuberbuhler: The Genetic Foundations of Intelligence

Joan Slonczewski: Reshaping Ourselves for Our Changing World

Christopher Chabris: Seeing If 10,000 Hours Make You an Expert

Daniel Simons: Regaining the Element of Surprise

Lawrence Krauss: Neutrinos from the Big Bang

Steven Pinker: Experimenting on Children Like Lab Rats

Anthony Atala: Off-the-Shelf Organs

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American