February 2010 Issue: Rebuilding America's Infrastructure

February 2010 Rebuilding America

Features

Renovating America

How can we build better bridges, highways and water mains? With new tech, including superconducting power lines, no-dig water pipes, and self-healing pavement. By Adam M. Bright

Pixel Qi: The LCD Screen That Could Finally Kill Paper For Good

Mary Lou Jepsen, the engineer behind the “$100 laptop” initiative, has perfected an LCD screen that could finally mean the death of paper. By Lauren Aaronson

The Mind Readers

Neuroscientists can reconstruct mental images—like the hamburger you’re picturing—using a common brain scanner and complex math. Reading your thoughts may well be next. By Lisa Katayama

Scary Science

To fear or not to fear: next-gen nukes, cyborg beetles, and a drug that makes you trust total strangers. We uncover the truth behind creepy research. By Jason Daley

Green Dream: Swappable Switches

Learn from PopSci’s staff photog as he constructs a home packed with eco-innovations. This month: Radio-controlled light switches to save energy easily. By John B. Carnett

Headlines

• Mammoth Project to Digitize the Tree of Life Could Uncover Thousands of New Species
• A Cannon for Shooting Supplies into Space
• Taking the Guesswork out of Baseball Stats
• New Clean-Fuel Rules For Ships Could Actually Hurt the Environment
• A Faster Yacht, Trading Sails For a Wing
• It's About Time: A Drill-Free Fix For Cavities
• Airwaves Abandoned by TV Could Beam High-Speed Internet Everywhere

What's New

• Lenovo Skylight Laptop Surfs For 10 Hours On a Single Charge
• Intel's New Chips Turn PCs into Power Nappers
• The Year's Biggest Auto Releases? Tiny, Fuel-Efficient Cars
• How 3-D TV Works
• Laser-Guided Vacuum Could Best the Roomba
• Five Photo Essentials For Winter Weather

How 2.0

• The Artillery-Grade, 600 MPH Pumpkin Cannon
• Creating Mobile Apps With a Point and a Click
• Theme Building: DIY Snow Vehicles Show Winter Who's Boss
• Gray Matter: Batteries Out of Thin Air
• Ask a Geek: How Can I Find the Best iPhone Apps?

FYI

• Which Organs Can I Live Without, and How Much Cash Can I Get for Them?
• Five Reasons Henrietta Lacks is the Most Important Woman in Medical History

Megapixels

• A Race Against Time To Complete New Delhi's Newest Subway Line
• Sandy, Salty Swirls