THE STREETLIGHT EFFECT
54
Scientific inquiry is beset by errors, contradictions, and false con-
clusions. The author says he knows why. BY DAVID H. FREEDMAN
DISCOVER INTERVIEW: RICHARD A. CLARKE
58
America’s former counterterrorism czar discusses the nation’s vulner-
ability to cyber attack, laying out how to prepare for a future in which
virtual wars could be fought by computer. BY ROBERT KEATING
PAGE 44
EARTH ON FIRE
60
All over the world, burning coal beds are belching toxic fumes,
spewing greenhouse gases, and proving nearly impossible
to extinguish. BY KRISTIN OHLSON
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GIANTS
66
Fossilized tracks provide an eloquent record of what dinosaurs
were like when they were living, breathing, stomping animals.
An extraordinary trove in Utah offers up its secrets. BY AMY BARTH
DISCOVER INTERVIEW: LEROY HOOD
72
A key player in the Human Genome Project predicts a total
transformation of medicine, fueled by our rapidly deepening under-
standing of how DNA works. BY PAMELA WEINTRAUB
ISAAC NEWTON AND
THE PHILOSOPHERS’ STONE
74
Alchemy gets a makeover: Far from being the work of superstitious
fools, it was an essential step toward modern science, endorsed
by two of history’s greatest geniuses. BY JANE BOSVELD
CALL WAITING
84
For 50 years, scientists have scanned the cosmos for signs
of intelligent alien life. After a half-century of failure, they are—
amazingly—more optimistic than ever. BY MICHAEL LEMONICK
PAGE 34
DEPARTMENTS
MAIL
3
CONTRIBUTORS
6
EDITOR’S NOTE 8
DATA
10
Solar power gets a reboot; biology’s master
on-off switch; garbage collection on the high
seas; light-powered rockets; your microbial
fingerprint; slicing Saturn’s rings; and more.
HOT SCIENCE
24
The best new books and movies, plus Cleopatra’s
palace and a dose of extra-dry British wit.
THE BRAIN
28
A look at what happens inside the head during
and after a brain injury. BY CARL ZIMMER
CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEF T: TAVIS COBURN; DORON GILD; DOMINIQUE DIERICK
VITAL SIGNS 32
An older woman’s sudden delirium exposes a
family secret. BY ANNA REISMAN
20 THINGS
YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
NANOTECHNOLOGY
96
Electric hamsters, super computers, and
eco-dust. BY REBECCA COFFEY
