• Technology

    Jumping into Action

    By Abby Seiff Posted on 4.16.2008 10 Comments

    Last April, we dissected the worlds most advanced fighter jet, the F-35B Lightning II, in the pages of our annual How It Works issue. Now military contractor Lockheed Martin is firing up the jets 40,000-pound-thrust engine (the most powerful ever built for a fighter jet) in preparation for flight tests. The jet can soar at supersonic speeds (1,000 mph) and deflect radar signals, but by the end of the month, pilots are expected to show off its most highly anticipated feature: the ability to stop mid-flight and touch down virtually anywhere.

  • Science

    An Artificial Brain

    By Matt Ransford Posted on 3.11.2008 1 Comments

    Remember Innerspace? Dennis Quaid and his submarine-like ship are shrunk to the size of a cell and accidentally injected into the hapless Martin Short. Quaid navigates the hazards of Shorts bodily functions in order to plot his escape. Twenty years on, there's something rather quaint about it. A vessel the size of a cell? With a pilot inside? Compared to todays innovations in nanotechnology, it's akin to using a tractor trailer to find your way through a corn maze.

  • Entertainment & Gaming

    The Breakdown: Tic The Spinning Hamster

    By Megan Miller Posted on 3.7.2008 7 Comments

    Tic, the unfortunate hamster in this video, loses his footing while getting some exercise and gets pulled into the spin cycle, completing nearly 12 revolutions in about four seconds before ignominiously dropping out of the wheel. However, while Tic may be bewildered by what happened during his morning training session, we need not be. Why does he get pulled into the spin? How does he remain in orbit for 12 rotations before falling off of the wheel? How does he finally escape? These are the questions we will address for Tics sake.

  • The Environment

    Tainted Tap Water

    By Nicole Dyer Posted on 3.10.2008 4 Comments

    Just when we were coming back around to the idea of drinking good old fashioned tap water, the Associated Press today announced that it has found traces of dozens of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of an estimated 41 million Americans.


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February 2012: The Future of Fun

Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?


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