Popular
Science
I owe a great debt to Mark Jannot, who hired me as his deputy
editor for little other reason than my willingness to meet
him at a bar midday on a Tuesday. Popular Science has been
in continuous publication since 1872, and it's a pleasure
to work for a magazine that has done so much for so long
to keep the spirit of invention and optimism alive in young
and old readers. Crafting profiles of earnest, hardworking
people and their brilliant projects is a rare opportunity,
and it's particularly pleasurable to do so at a publication
that focuses on solutions, rather than just belaboring problems.
I owe it to my employer not to hand out PDFs of our content
for free. But you can contact me to
read the stories summarized below. You can also peruse PopSci.com,
which has an exhaustive archive, and is always worth a visit.
--
The First Assassination of the 21st Century (June 2007*)
A former spy's excruciating death by radiation poisoning marks
the beginning of an era of high-tech hitmen who can kill
from anywhere.
by James Geary, with reporting from Moscow by Victor Akunov
(*This story, which was my pleasure to conceive, assign, and
develop with the endlessly capable James Geary, was included
in The
Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008.)
PopSci Goes to College (September 2007)
In our special report on the sharpest minds of tomorrow, we
rediscovered the best reasons to study science. There’s
the autonomy, the creative satisfaction, and the fact that
scientists are some of the best-liked, most trusted and happiest
people on the planet. There’s also the cool things
they get to do: Summon lightning. Play with lava. Blow stuff
up. You can even earn a degree and a hot job designing racecars
with your buddies. And did we mention the money? The bell
has rung, class. Pay attention.
The Gatherers (January 2008)
Around the world, scientists are risking their lives to retrieve
seeds destined for a massive vault near the North Pole. Their
work just might save mankind which has managed to preserve
the greatest amount
of natural diversity within its plant life, crops are becoming
more homogenous—and thus more vulnerable.
by Hillary Rosner
Your Sewer On Drugs (March 2008)
Sewage is more than just filth. It’s evidence of our
worst habits, everything from caffeine to cocaine, all ingested
and flushed down the toilet. Now scientists are using wastewater
to drug-test entire cities, and the results are sobering
by Eric Hagerman
The Future of Sports (August 2008)
Today's elite athletes are scientists who experiment on themselves
in front of an audience that can number in the billions.
Like scientists, they are strivers. While established records
may seem untouchable, years of work and the creativity of
a new technique or better equipment (or, unfortunately, a
syringe) will inevitably prove that no achievement is sacred.
As with science, there's no limit to what can be done.
Shock to the System (September 2008)
Soldiers who manage to walk away from explosions in Iraq may
actually be suffering terrible—yet invisible—brain
trauma. Could blast waves be fueling a new breed of injury?
by Eric Hagerman
Extreme Engineering 101 (September 2008)
Canadian student pranksters have turned city lights into Morse
code, covered the mayor’s house in fake paint, and
dangled a car beneath the Golden Gate Bridge—just to
show they can. Our writer risked injury and arrest to join
the cult.
by Bob Parks
Killer Connection (January 2009)
America is haunted by 100,000 missing persons and 40,000 unidentified
sets of remains. Only one lab can truly connect the lost
and the dead—and it’s revealing the secrets of
serial killers in the process.
By Jessica Snyder Sachs
The China Syndrome (May 2009)
For years, the U.S. intelligence community worried that China’s
government was attacking our cyber-infrastructure. Now one
man has discovered it’s worse: It’s hundreds of
thousands of everyday civilians. And they’ve only just
begun.
by Mara Hvistendahl |
