Why National Missile Defense Won't Work
The current plan for defending the U.S. against a ballistic-missile attack faces many of the problems that plagued a similar plan three decades ago
Volume 281, Issue 2
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Features
The Lurking Perils of Pfiesteria
This minute creature has been implicated in dramatic fish kills and has hurt people. But its most publicized actions may not be the most damaging. More subtle effects are raising new concerns
Detecting Massive Neutrinos
A giant detector in the heart of Mount Ikenoyama in Japan has demonstrated that the neutrino metamorphoses in flight, strongly suggesting that these ghostly particles have mass
The Moral Development of Children
It is not enough for kids to tell right from wrong. They must develop a commitment to acting on their ideals. Enlightened parenting can help
Trailing a Virus
As a virus never seen before swept through rural Malaysia, killing more than 110 and forcing the destruction of a million swine, it revealed the world's vulnerability to new diseases. Even the best efforts of top scientists are sometimes not enough to thwart them
Raw Computation
One of the main engines of the Oxygen project is the Raw microchip, which has wiring that can be automatically reprogrammed for different tasks
The Future of Computing
M.I.T.'s Laboratory for Computer Science is developing a new infrastructure for information technologies--the Oxygen system--that promises to realize a vision long held by the lab's director: helping people do more by doing less
Talking with Your Computer
Speech-based interfaces may soon allow computer users to retrieve data and issue instructions without lifting a finger
Communications Chameleons
Multipurpose communications systems will be the links of tomorrow's wireless computer networks