From Washington University:
“Fish Genitalia May Balance Attractiveness with Predatory Escape.”

The scientists found that female mosquitofish prefer the well-endowed male. Unfortunately for the males, larger genitalia impede a speedy getaway, making them more likely to be eaten by predators. Sometimes, you just can’t win.

THE GENIUS FACTORY:
The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
By David Plotz;
Random House;
288 pages;
$24.95

Twenty-five years ago, a retired optometrist named Robert Graham set out to save the planet. As the inventor of unbreakable plastic eyeglass lenses, he certainly had the cash to do great good as a traditional philanthropist, building libraries, say, or endowing scholarships for disadvantaged youth. Instead the Southern California eccentric changed the world in a more un-usual way.

Talk about dazzling fireworks. On July 4, NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft flew itself into the path of an oncoming comet speeding at 23,000 miles an hour. The resulting collision created a spectacular flash of light that was photographed by the craft’s flyby mothership.

At the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mitsubishi showed an audacious concept car that heralded the arrival of the next-generation Eclipse. The Concept E, as it was called, was an all-wheel-drive hybrid with a completely unique powertrain arrangement: a 270hp V6 drove the front wheels, while a 200hp electric motor powered the rear ones. Everyone drooled.

A year later, the automotive press was all set to drool again, but the debut of the production Eclipse left our mouths a bit drier than expected.

Sunny Solstice
At the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors debuted the Pontiac Solstice concept car, promising an open-air thrill ride on a budget. The 2006 Solstice is on its way, and it looks like the General will deliver on its promise.

The heart of the Solstice is GM’s Kappa platform, which engineers created to develop a family of compact, rear-wheel-drive sports cars that would marry function—power and stability—with form, to create a vehicle that would handle well and please both the beholder and the budget.

Popular Science magazine sat down with Indy Racing League driver Dan Wheldon three days after his May 29th triumph in the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The 26-year-old British driver for the Andretti-Green Racing team discussed his experiences on the track, the role of technology in auto racing, and the future of the sport

“Now we are getting nearer to true submarines,” PopSci proclaimed in June 1949 of the Navy’s newly revamped U.S.S. TUSK, “not just buttoned-up surface ships that can dunk for a few hours.” The TUSK, first commissioned as a torpedo boat in 1946, reemerged as a deadly spy sub capable of remaining in the deep for weeks, thanks to a snorkel that allowed its diesel engines to run underwater while its upgraded batteries recharged. This technology and a sleek aircraft-inspired design improved the sub’s speed from 10 knots to 15 knots.

With the help of the Popular Science Buyer’s Guide to Cars, perhaps you’ve successfully scored your shiny new ride. That doesn’t mean you can stop thinking about it. Do you know what kind of gas you can put in? How often—really—should you change the oil? What kind of tire and wheel upgrades will improve your car’s performance, and which will degrade it?

Cadillac used to make cars for old people, but times change. Caddy sedans are now squarely aimed at recent retirees. Take, for example, the CTS. This angular four-door sedan is easy, and, despite its prodigious amount of technological options, it is definitely for those who enjoy only the benefits of the digital revolution—for a fully loaded sedan, its dash is remarkably free of technoclutter.

As is the current fashion, all electronics are accessed through a central LCD screen.

The automotive buyer’s guide published in the August issue of Popular Science featured a variety of key technologies consumers should know about when comparing new cars. What follows are additional categories likely to pique your curiosity in the showroom—diesel tech, off-road capability and all-important in-car entertainment options.

DIESELS
Tech
Diesel engines are more efficient and more powerful than their gas cousins.