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 YOU CAN, AFTER ALL, break the laws of physics – but only at the nanoscale. Why tiny materials behave in bizarre ways science can’t explain has got everyone excited about nanotechnolgy – and there are even hints of a new source of power. Plus, the human genome a decade on: we trace the twists and turns of genetics research, including the bizarre concept that we could inherit our grandparents’ genetic diseases even if we didn’t inherit their genes! Also in this issue, watch a solar eclipse from remote Easter Island and meet the Cold War physicists who turned climate change denial into a science. |
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT
As the science backing human-induced climate change has firmed, public support has softened and political consensus dissolved. How did this happen? Naomi Oreskes identifies the characters, the tactics and techniques that have undermined the science
TUBES OF FIRE
They appear to break the laws of physics, behave in ways chemistry can’t explain and could be a new source of power. Rachel Ehrenberg investigates the bizarre world of carbon nanotubes.
DOCTOR ON A CHIP
From the killing of tumours to detecting contaminated water, medical nanotechnology is advancing by leaps and bounds – and could soon put a pathologist in your smartphone, asMichael Rosenwald discovers.
SNAKES & LADDERS
A decade after the Human Genome Project unravelled our genes, it’s clear that the genome is a lot like a complex board game, as Jon Cohen discovers.
WHAT’S IN A GENOME?
Evidence is growing that your DNA sequence does not determine your entire genetic fate. But what accounts for the rest? Stephen S. Hall takes a journey through the molecular machinery of the genome.
HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS
Looking for an asteroid in the vastness of space is like looking for a single needle in all the haystacks on Earth. Such a mammoth task has fallen to just a few good men, reportsRobert Irion.
EDGE OF DARKNESS
It’s encircled our planets, mostly unnoticed, for billions of years, but scientists are not looking to the mysterious Kuiper Belt for clues on how our Solar System was formed. Rick Lovett explores the latest theories.
AGENT OF CHANGE
Scientist, explorer, writer, intellectual, activist, polemicist – Tim Flannery is many things to many people, but always with an intensity that can polarise as well as inspire. And although often in the public eye, he’s actually an acutely private person who is intent on changing the world, as Karen McGhee discovers.
PORTRAIT:
Rachel Popelka-Filcoff, archaeological chemist.
NEWS:
The latest science news from around the world.
TRIVIA:
Try to wrap your head around these brain teasers.
HIT LIST:
We look at science theatre’s finest moments.
RUNDOWN:
Science, by the numbers.
DIAGNOSIS:
What happens when you’re born with fused fingers.
COMPETITION:
The answers can be found at cosmosmagazine.com.
FROM THE FRONTLINE:
News straight from the University of Melbourne.
FOREWORD:
The editor-in-chief, Wilson da Silva, on why we shouldn’t rule out nuclear power as a result of the disaster in Japan.
FEEDBACK:
Letters from our readers, and the winners of the latest “Where in the COSMOS?” competition.
GALLERY: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
NASA’s space shuttle was the first of its kind – a spacecraft that could be used again and again to deliver objects such as food, supplies, laboratories, satellites and, of course, people into space. After three decades, the last-ever flight of the much-loved spacecraft is scheduled for June 2011. Richard Berry looks back on some of the most striking images and memorable moments from its career.
TRAVELOGUE: DARK SIDE OF THE SUN
For the first time since it was settled, the majestic spectacle of a total solar eclipse swept over
enigmatic Easter Island. Dan Falk was there.
FICTION: DAY BREAK
He’d had enough of watching the days deteriorate. The time had come to investigate the thing that caused the breaking of the world. Original new fiction by Greg Mellor.
REVIEWS
Cosmos talks to bestselling author Simon Singh about his recent court case win and what he plans to do next. We also list the most popular books around Australia and find out what Spencer Wells is reading. Featuring reviews of Lust for Blood; Arrival City; Chasing the Sun; Making Girls and Boys; a comic book called Evolution; An Optimist’s Tour of the Future;
and Strange New Worlds.
OPINION: MIRROR, MIRROR
It’s not the science in TV shows like The Big Bang Theory that physicists grumble about – it’s the way the scientists are portrayed. But like all good comedy, it contains an element of truth, says science writer Jennifer Ouellette.