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September

Table of Contents September 2011

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

Building the Green-Collar Economy

by Eric A. Powell

The lure of renewable energy sources is that they help fight climate  change. Four experts argue that the transition to a clean economy could also jump-start economic growth and put a new generation to work.  

It's Complicated: The Lives of Dolphins & Scientists

by Erik Vance

In the escalating war over dolphin rights, two pioneers in the study of cetacean consciousness have sacrificed their decades-old friendship for their beliefs.

Your Brain Knows a Lot More Than You Realize

by David Eagleman

Neuroscientist David Eagleman explores the processes and skills of the subconscious mind, which our conscious selves rarely consider.

Out of the Blue, Into the Black

by Sam Howe Verhovek

Commercial space travel is now almost within reach of ordinary citizens. But can small-a astronauts handle the ride?

One Giant Leap for Machine Kind

by Tim Folger

While human explorers remain stubbornly stuck in Earth orbit, robotic space probes are preparing for the next great age of exploration: drilling, rolling, sailing, and prospecting where nobody has gone before.

This Is What It Looks Like When Black Holes Collide

by Shannon Palus

“Pictures like these are worth a billion pieces of data,” says legendary physicist Kip Thorne.

China's Upcoming Nuclear Power Boom

by Adam Hadhazy

The emerging superpower is developing a different type of reactor that should be less prone to dangers like those that emerged recently in Japan.

Military Cameras & Olive Oil Help Solve Longstanding Mystery: How Hummingbirds Fly

by Andrew Grant

The secret lies right where you wouldn't expect it: in the bird's upstroke.

Divine Data Cruncher

DEPARTMENTS

Impatient Futurist

The Bright, Hi-Tech Future of Food Preservation

by David H. Freedman

Irradiating food? Pssh. Old news. Engineers are working on more effective (and cooler) techniques like super-high pressure, chemical coatings, and, yes, laser ovens.

Hot Science

Hot Science: The Best New Science Culture

by Valerie Ross, Katie Palmer, Gillian Conahan, Nicole Dyer, Veronique Greenwood, Caroline Spivack

The beauty of science, craziness of leaders, and rehabilitation of Ground Zero

20 Things You Didn't Know About...

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

by Leeaundra Keany

The ones that kill, the ones that fly long distances, and the ones made from pig bungs

Vital Signs

Vital Signs: A Stress Case or a Serious Disease?

by Robert A. Norman

A dermatologist treats an anxious patient for her stress-induced lesions, but new symptoms signal a more serious, and very real, disease.

The Brain

The Brain: "I See," Said the Blind Man With an Artificial Retina

by Carl Zimmer

New ocular implants are already illuminating colors and shapes, and promise to become far better.

5 Questions

5 Questions for the Microbial Puppet-Master

by Valerie Ross

Timothy Lu gets bacteria to make enzymes that attack their own biofilms, setting them up for the kill.

Big Idea

Big Idea: We Can Now Safely Sequence a Fetus' Genome. Is the World Ready for This?

by Amy Barth

Researchers can now get the entire genome of a fetus just by sampling the mother's blood. While this could help new parents prepare, it may also lead to more abortions and more carefully selected offspring.

Numbers

Numbers: Deadly  Produce, From E. Coli to Glass Shards to Apricot Pits

by Mara Grunbaum

Sliced

4 Sports Injuries That Are Pushing the Envelope of Modern Medicine

by Mara Grunbaum

With so much on the line, athletes are willing to try new treatments that may be groundbreaking cures or just elaborate placebos.

Editor's Note

Editor's Note: Dream a Little Dream

by Corey S. Powell

Don't sell your species short; we can do some pretty impressive things.

Destination Science