[NEWS FOCUS] NUCLEAR PHYSICS: A Plasma Too Far? Researchers Hunt for Early State of Matter
Brookhaven scientists think they've seen evidence of the long-sought quark-gluon plasma. But something's not quite right.
Author: Charles Seife
[NEWS FOCUS] GEOMETRIC TOPOLOGY: Taming the Hyperbolic Jungle by Pruning Its Unruly Edges
Answering decades-old questions, two new theorems set limits on how wild some universes can get.
Author: Dana Mackenzie
[NEWS] EDUCATION: Singapore Leads, U.S. Lags in Science, Math Student Achievement
According to the 2003 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study,released last week by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, Singaporean students lead the world in math and science. Educators say that the top ranking, among elementary and middle school students from as many as 49 countries, also demonstrates how a nation's commitment to excellence can pay off fairly quickly.
Author: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
[NEWS FOCUS] CELL BIOLOGY: A Technical Fix For an Ethical Bind?
Scientists and ethicists are taking a closer look at ways to create pluripotent human stem cells without involving embryos. But how close are such ideas to reality?
Author: Constance Holden, Gretchen Vogel
[NEWS FOCUS] SELECT AGENTS: Heightened Security or Neocolonial Science?
New restrictions on federally funded research involving the world's most dangerous pathogens are hampering foreign collaborations.
Author: Richard Stone