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December

Table of Contents December 2009

Discover Magazine's mission is to enable readers to lead richer lives by explaining and expanding their universe. Each month we bring you in depth information and analysis from various topics ranging from technology and space to the living world we live in.

FEATURES

Are Black Holes the Architects of the Universe?

by Andrew Grant

Long known for their obliterating power, black holes may also have been a creative force: New evidence suggests that they gave order to the chaotic mess produced by the Big Bang.

The Intellectual Property Fight That Could Kill Millions

by Delthia Ricks

The hothouse environment of Indonesia is ground zero for a potential bird flu pandemic. But a fight over ownership of flu genes is blocking the efforts to track deadly infections on the move.

A Geek's Look Back at 2009

by Tom Dworetzky

Science is burrowing its way into ever further into popular culture. Here we chart the best sci/tech movies, books, gadgets, and cars of the year.

8 Big Ideas That Could Pave the Road to Clean Energy

Leading thinkers offer visions of how to make our energy supply cleaner, more efficient, and more abundant.

The Dawn of Civilization: Writing, Urban Life, and Warfare

by Andrew Lawler

An extraordinary ancient Syrian settlement shines a light on one of the most important moments in human history.

Field Notes: Meddling With Mosquito Romance in the Name of Public Health

by Dava Sobel

The duets sung by male and female mosquitoes are a critical part of their mating ritual. If researchers can master mosquito music, they may be able to abort a whole generation of disease-carriers.

Phosphorus Fields

by Michael Tenneson

Phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers drive modern agriculture, but they are also poisoning the planet.

DEPARTMENTS

What Is This?

What Is This... A Hi-Tech Pin Cushion?

by Andrew Grant

Hint: There are a lot fewer of them now than there were a few years ago.

Visual Science

Visual Science: The Ultimate X-Ray Generator

To get really high-energy X-rays, you need some really powerful magnets.

5 Questions

5 Questions for the Developing World's Disease Fighter

by Boonsri Dickinson

Jose Gomez-Marquez finds new vaccine technologies that work in the lab and in the real world.

Vital Signs

Vital Signs: How Do You Treat a Watermelon in the Belly?

by Tony Dajer

Early diagnosis and a fruit of modern medicine keeps a killer at bay.

Discover Q&A

Discover Interview: The Man Who Builds Brains

by David Kushner

Using computer processors that behave like neurons in the neocortex, Henry Markram is inching closer to building a simulated human brain—a truly conscious machine.

Numbers

Numbers: Water, From Precipitation to Irrigation to Sanitation

by Jeremy Jacquot

Destination Science

Destination Science: Hunting Dinosaurs With Jack Horner

by Boonsri Dickinson

Exploring with Horner is part rugged outdoor workout, part evolutionary adventure, which helps explain why some 40 people trek to this remote part of Montana each summer to join him on his fossil hunts.

20 Things You Didn't Know About...

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Digestion

by Leeaundra Keany

#15: In which painful condition does your body literally start eating yourself from within?

Big Idea

5 Reasons Science [Hearts] Google

by Elizabeth Svoboda

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

The Brain

The Brain: What Is the Speed of Thought?

by Carl Zimmer

Faster than a bird and slower than sound. But that may be besides the point: Efficiency and timing seem to be more important anyway.

DATA

The Moon Makes a Splash

by Jennifer Barone

Thanks to new-and-improved imaging, the Earth's nearest neighbor is looking a lot more interesting.

Two More Steps Toward Quantum Computing

by Adam Hadhazy

Forget Putting CO2 Under Rock—Let's Turn It *Into* Rock

by Lindsey Konkel

New research on carbon sequestration suggests that carbon dioxide could be chemically converted to a solid, providing a safe way to get rid of a lot of greenhouse gas.