Issues
Physics Update
Letters
Search and Discovery
Physics Nobel Prize Honors Roots of Information Age
Jack Kilby, coinventor of the integrated circuit, and Zhores Alferov and Herbert Kroemer, early pioneers of semiconductor heterostructures, made today's electronic and communications technology possible.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Salutes the Discovery of Conducting Polymers
Conducting polymers have found applications ranging from antistatic coatings to all‐polymer integrated circuits.
Simple Mechanisms Help Explain Insect Hovering
Experimental models and two‐dimensional computer simulations of insect hovering provide insight that is missing in steady‐state analysis.
Articles
The Evolving Battlefield
National defense with maximum precision and minimum unintended damage should be an attractive challenge for scientists seeking to improve the human condition.
The Continuing Debate on National Missile Defenses
Concerns about “emerging missile states” have spurred development of a system to defend the US from small‐scale ballistic missile attacks. But the planned system could be compromised by simple countermeasures, and the security costs of deployment could be high.
Science‐Based Stockpile Stewardship
With the end of nuclear testing, the US seeks to maintain its nuclear deterrent with a multifaceted program aimed at understanding more about the materials and processes of nuclear weapons.
The Scientific Community and Intelligence Collection
Academic scientists continue to play a vital role in helping the intelligence community exploit technology for national security.