Scientists at California State University at Monterey Bay have discovered why the state's most famous big wave, Mavericks, off the coast south of San Francisco, is so big. The wave, which draws some of the world's best surfers for an annual surfing contest, can reach up to 50 feet tall. Researchers uncovered the mystery this spring while conducting the most detailed mapping yet of the ocean floor off California's coast.

Back in the 1960s and '70s, legions of scientists explored technologies to zap strength from hurricanes. Those efforts were scrapped both because experiments were inconclusive and because the cost of deploying a full-scale system to regularly battle the cyclones would have been staggering. In light of
Katrina and Rita's $200-billion-plus swath of destruction—and a forecast of even more violent and catastrophic hurricanes to come—that steep price tag now seems like a bargain, and
scientists are once again entertaining schemes to mitigate monster storms.