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Big Idea: Seeing Crime Before It Happens

01.23.2012 Can remote sensors give us Minority Report-like powers to detect people who will soon break the law?

by Joseph A. Bernstein

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We're Looking for a Few Good Astronauts

NASA's about to take a long break from manned flight, but job opportunities for astronauts are looking better than ever. 07.19.2011

Could Dirt Help Heal the Climate?

One of the simplest keys to fighting global warming may be right under our feet. 06.30.2011

Accidental Paleontology in L.A.

The sites of large construction projects are often rich sources of fossils, especially in California, where they're protected by law. 06.19.2011

Should Conservationists Allow Some Species to Die Out?


In the battle to save endangered animals, some environmentalists say we should ignore the charismatic pandas and condors and instead practice "conservation triage." 05.09.2011

Can Bill Gates Buy a Better World?

The billionaire's foundation has been criticized for being insider-ish and attention-grabbing, but the organization has recently had some big successes. 02.04.2011

We're Looking for a Few Clean War Machines

In order to protect supply lines, the U.S. military is making a big push into green energy, from biofuel-burning planes to geothermal-powered bases to an all-green carrier strike group. 01.24.2011

What Is Killing America’s Bats?

Wildlife biologists seem to have a better handle on the fungus that's decimating bat populations. But some other groups of animals are facing similar steep declines. 01.07.2011

The End of Easy Oil

Canada’s tar sands will soon be our top source of imported oil. But will that energy be worth the costs? 12.01.2010

How Solar Power Could Become Cheaper Than Coal

Engineers are using leading-edge physics to try to make photovoltaic cells a mainstream power source. 11.01.2010

How Climate Change Shaped Humanity

Could the study of hard times in the past teach us how to deal with global warming in the future? 10.03.2010

Your Brain in Real Time

Surgeons and scientists are teaming up to study living brains in action. 03.30.2010

5 Reasons Science [Hearts] Google

The company that tamed the Web is now helping researchers see the world with fresh eyes. 01.19.2010

The Banks That Prevent—Rather Than Cause—Global Crises

Seed banks put some much-needed wild vigor back into today's specialized varieties, protecting critical crops from being wiped out. 11.20.2009

The Search for Aliens Gets Harder—But More Encouraging

Saturn's surprising moons have broadened scientists' ideas about where extraterrestrial life might be found. 11.16.2009

The Easiest Way to Fight Global Warming?

Simply cleaning up soot could work wonders for the climate. 09.08.2009

8 Ways Scientists Look at—But Don't Yet See—Dark Matter

Scientists hunt for the unseen matter that glues together the cosmos. But some wonder whether it even exists. 06.22.2009

Life After Silicon—How Graphene Could Revolutionize Electronics

Will the next generation of computers, phones, and even energy storage be built on a form of carbon? 05.19.2009

The Inspiring Boom in "Super-Earths"

At last we are finding rocky planets like our own. But some are pretty weird: The smallest may have a mineral-vapor atmosphere that condenses as lava rain or rock snow. 05.08.2009

Where Do Old Colliders Go to Die?

After the LHC comes online, old accelerators will stand by, just in case they're necessary, get salvaged for spare parts, or just lie untouched in the ground for years. 04.04.2009

Sustainable Architecture Takes Cues From the Original Green: Nature

Glass that "breathes" like gills, solar cells that imitate leaves, and other biomimetic technologies 03.02.2009