Fusion and the Z Pinch
A device called the Z machine has led to a new way of triggering controlled fusion with intense nanosecond bursts of x-rays
Volume 279, Issue 2
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Features
Low-Back Pain
Low-back pain is at epidemic levels. Although its causes are still poorly understood, treatment choices have improved, with the body's own healing power often the most reliable remedy
Computing with DNA
The manipulation of DNA to solve mathematical problems is redefining what is meant by computation
Monitoring and Controlling Debris in Space
The path from Sputnik to the International Space Station has been littered with high-tech refuse, creating an environmental problem in outer space
A Quarter-Century of Recreational Mathematics
The author of Scientific American's column "Mathematical Games" from 1956 to 1981 recounts 25 years of amusing puzzles and serious discoveries
Irrigating Crops with Seawater
As the world's population grows and freshwater stores become more precious, researchers are looking to the sea for the water to irrigate selected crops
Microdiamonds
These tiny, enigmatic crystals hold promise both for industry and for the study of how diamond grows
The Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
One of the first major epidemics of the disease in the U.S., it devastated America's early capital. It also had lasting repercussions for the city and country