Issues

When a cosmic-ray proton has as much kinetic energy as a well-hit tennis ball, it can create pions and thus lose energy in intergalactic space simply by plowing through the cosmic microwave background.

A spectroscopic experiment offers a new look at a plasma in the first few instants of its formation.

An all-optical system offers a flexible experimental approach to observing a new class of localization effect.

The threat of global warming's effects has already spurred some multinational companies to cut emissions. Meanwhile, in the US, grassroots efforts are growing.

As president of Italy's space agency, Giovanni Bignami aims to revive the country's satellite program and strengthen ties to other space agencies.

A 12-year project to build a billion-dollar particle-physics lab in space is grounded unless someone comes up with at least $380 million.

Russian scientists say their academy's woes are symptomatic of a broader undermining of science in their country.

For the second year, President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative would significantly increase funding for research at NSF, Department of Energy, and NIST laboratories. Other agencies aren't so lucky.

Studied as early as the mid-19th century, the physics of water beneath Earth's surface is the basis of groundwater hydrology, a multifaceted discipline that continues to challenge theorists and experimentalists alike.

With high sensitivity to evolving environments, multiply scattered acoustic and elastic waves are being used to probe temporal changes in physical systems, from volcanoes to bubbles in a turbulent fluid.

In their memoirs, Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher describe what happened during the months leading up to their now-famous measurements on charged droplets. But intriguing differences in the accounts make it unclear just who made the key contributions.

A manufacturer of good cutlery balances competing requirements of strength, ability to hold an edge, and resistance to rusting.