Population, Poverty and the Local Environment
As forests and rivers recede, a child's labor can become more valuable to parents, spurring a vicious cycle that traps families in poverty
Volume 272, Issue 2
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Features
Sonoluminescence: Sound into Light
A bubble of air can focus acoustic energy a trillionfold to produce picosecond flashes of light. The mechanism eludes complete explanation
Molecular Machines That Control Genes
The activities of our genes are tightly regulated by elaborate complexes of proteins that assemble on DNA. Perturbations in the normal operation of these assemblies can lead to disease
Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity
Does some fine madness plague great artists? Several studies now show that creativity and mood disorders are linked
This article appears in the In-Depth Report Genius, Suicide and Mental Illness: Insights into a Deep Connection
Masers in the Sky
Interstellar gas clouds produce intense, coherent microwaves. This radiation offers a glimpse of the size, content and distance of objects that may otherwise be invisible
The History of Synthetic Testosterone
Testosterone has long been banned in sports as a performance-enhancing drug. This use may soon be accepted in medicine alongside other legitimate hormonal therapies
The Mid-Cretaceous Superplume Episode
The earth has an erratic "heartbeat" that can release vast amounts of heat from deep within the planet. The latest pulse of the earth occurred 120 million years ago
Toward "Point One"
Gigabit chips are now in the laboratory. But the critical technology needed for manufacturing smaller circuits confronts diminishing returns