Getting Out of the Starting Block
Verification issues should not obstruct an agreement that achieves major reductions in strategic arms. An effective verification regime should deter militarily significant acts of noncompliance...
Features
The Evolution of the Earth's Magnetic Field
Molten iron flows through the outer core, creating conditions that generate the earth's magnetic field. Maps of magnetic activity at the core surface link fluid flow to the evolution of the field...
Synapse Formation in the Developing Brain
As the brain develops, existing synapses between nerve cells are refined and new connections are made. The changes are not automatic; they depend in part on the young neurons generating impulses...
Science in Pictures: The First Color Photographs
The earliest schemes for capturing color images were elaborate and unwieldy—but ingenious nonetheless
Microclusters
Small aggregates of atoms constitute a distinct phase of matter. Their chemistry, at once highly reactive and selective, has possible applications in catalysis, optics and electronics
The Birds of Paradise
Diet has a major influence on the social and sexual behavior of these tropical birds. It explains why some species are monogamous and why others are highly promiscuous
Teleoperators
In the absence of fully autonomous robots, machines operated by a person at a distance can carry out tasks in remote or hostile environments
The Mithraic Mysteries
The icons of this ancient Mediterranean cult can be deciphered only in terms of a worldview that placed the powers controlling human destiny not on the earth but in the stars
Departments
50 and 100 Years Ago: December 1989
Range War
Photogenic Science
Fuel for Thought
The Lost Generation
After the Deluge
A Cosmic Unveiling
Big-Game Forensics
What's a Hoatzin?
Old Gene, New Trick
Stone to Bone
Affirmative Action
Nobel Prizes
Gaia
Manufacturing Intelligence
Pourable Plastics
Economic Intrigue
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, December 1989
- Recommended
Books, December 1989
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Scientist, December 1989
- Departments
The Analytical Economist: The Imbalance of Payments
Computer Recreations, December 1989
Annual Index, 1989
Essay: How to Control U.S. Health Costs
