Issues
From the Editor
Readers’ Forum
Search and Discovery
The Amazon is reaching its carbon tipping point
The tropical forest can no longer be counted on to help clean up humanity’s environmental mess.
An unconventional superconductor isn’t so odd after all
NMR measurements and previously published specific-heat data rule out earlier claims of strontium ruthenate’s spin-triplet superconductivity.
A simple magnetic field configuration could trigger solar eruptions
A sheared magnetic loop in the Sun’s corona can give rise to a thinning sheet of electrical current, magnetic reconnection, and tension forces strong enough to hurl material into space.
Issues and Events
Better ways to store energy are needed to attain Biden’s carbon-free grid
Experts say lithium-ion batteries will be overtaken for grid-scale energy-storage applications by other battery technologies and nonchemical storage.
Replacing high-risk radioactive materials remains a challenge
The medical industry is substituting x-ray sources for cesium-based blood irradiators. Other industries are also exploring alternative technologies.
Articles
Improving science education: It’s not rocket science—it’s harder!
Scientists can help by partnering with museums, out-of-school programs, schools, organizations that develop instructional materials, or other educational projects.
Computed tomography turns 50
Modern high-performance CT scanners are unparalleled among three-dimensional imaging systems in data acquisition speed and spatial resolution.
Ptychography: A solution to the phase problem
First envisioned for elucidating crystalline structures, the technique is now used for high-resolution lensless imaging, wavefront sensing, and more.
Books
New Products
Obituaries
Jack Steinberger
Wolfgang Stodiek
Quick Study
Illuminating gelatinous life in the deep sea
Many transparent animals rely for survival on structures built from their own mucus. To study such organisms deep underwater, researchers are using robots outfitted with lasers.