Scientific American Magazine

Rich in fossil-fuel resources, Iran is pursuing a nuclear power program difficult to understand in the absence of military motives

Computers that modify their hardware circuits as they operate are opening a new era in computer design. Because they can filter data rapidly, they excel at pattern recognition, image processing and encryption

A new species of Australopithecus, the ancestor of Homo, pushes back the origins of bipedalism to some four million years ago

Modern sonar techniques map the continental margins of the U.S. and reveal the richly varied scenery usually hidden underwater

Computers that can reason about images may be able to pick out distinct features of a person, place or object from photograph archives

Treating disease by providing needed genes remains a compelling idea, but clinical and basic researchers still have much to do before gene therapy can live up to its promise

Many drawbacks of viral gene delivery agents might be overcome by nonviral systems. Studies in patients suggest these systems have potential as therapies and as vaccines

Inserted genes could in theory arrest tumor growth or even AIDS

Inserting genes into brain cells may one day offer doctors a way to slow, or even reverse, the damage from degenerative neurological disease