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  1. Tech

    2009 Science News of the Year: Technology

    A polymer doped with a color-changing molecule turns red seconds before snapping. Credit: D. Stevenson, A. Jerez, A. Hamilton, D. Davis About to breakEngineers one day may not need to guess when a bridge is near its breaking point. New materials that flush red in response to damage may provide a visual warning sign of […]

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  2. Humans

    2009 Science News of the Year: Science & Society

    Activists plead for a new agreement during the 2007 U.N. Climate Change Conference. Credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Leaders warm to climate action Throughout the year, global leaders used various summits around the world to declare their intention to take firm, though often unilateral, action to reduce their nations’ carbon footprints. In December, negotiators from more […]

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  3. Science Past from the issue of January 2, 1960

    MORE JOBS THAN MEN IS PICTURE FOR ENGINEERS — The college engineer market, subject to the fickle swing of the employment pendulum, will be getting a good picking over by industry in the early 1960’s when demand for engineering graduates will exceed supply. The Engineering Manpower and Scientific Manpower Commissions reported that industries intend to […]

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  4. Science Future for January 2, 2010

    January 13–16Members of several mathematical societies meet for a joint conference in San Francisco. See www.ams.org January 20–22Experts in various disciplines meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss greening the economy. See ncseonline.org/conference/greeneconomy January 27 Intel Science Talent Search finalists are announced. See www.societyforscience.org

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  5. Letters

    Outsized beaver Accompanying your recent article about giant extinct beavers (“Ancient beavers did not eat trees,” SN: 11/21/09, p. 10), there is an illustration that seems to show that the extinct beaver was about twice the length of a present-day beaver. I measured each from nose to the base of the tail rather than to […]

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  6. STEM talent: Moving beyond traditional boundaries

    Our future belongs to a new breed of science, technology, engineering and math talent — decidedly different minds that will use the transformative power of science and technology to advance the human condition. STEPHANIE PACE MARSHALL “The nature and quality of our thinking shape who we become.” Photography by Feltes In this age of escalating […]

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  7. Book Review: The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray

    Review by Janet Raloff.

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  8. Book Review: The Three Cultures: Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Humanities in the 21st Century by Jerome Kagan

    Review by Rachel Zelkowitz.

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  9. The Math Book by Clifford A. Pickover

    An illustrated timeline showcases great mathematicians and  mathematical achievements throughout history. Sterling, 2009, 527 p., $29.95. THE MATH BOOK BY CLIFFORD A. PICKOVER

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  10. Viruses, Plagues, & History: Past, Present, and Future by Michael B.A. Oldstone

    An immunobiologist describes how microbes have shaped history and may affect the future. Oxford University Press, 2009, 383 p., $17.95. VIRUSES, PLAGUES, & HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE BY MICHAEL B.A. OLDSTONE

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  11. Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth by Alanna Mitchell

    Ocean degradation is widespread and portends trouble for life on dry land, a journalist argues. University of Chicago Press, 2009, 161 p., $25. SEASICK: OCEAN CHANGE AND THE EXTINCTION OF LIFE ON EARTH BY ALANNA MITCHELL

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  12. Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America by Lee Alan Dugatkin

    For the third American president, natural history was a matter of national pride. University of Chicago Press, 2009, 166 p., $26. MR. JEFFERSON AND THE GIANT MOOSE: NATURAL HISTORY IN EARLY AMERICA BY LEE ALAN DUGATKIN

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