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On the Cover

September-October 2005 Volume 93, Number 5

School buses across the United States, such as these lined up to haul students of Edmonds School District #15 near Seattle,Washington, are painted exactly the same yellow color, making the school bus an icon immediately recognizable to adults and children alike. But how do bus manufacturers—or any other production companies—ensure that their merchandise conforms to standard colors? ...

FEATURE ARTICLES

Fighting Cancer Through the Study of Sarcomas

Igor Matushansky, Robert Maki

Although rare, cancers of the muscle, bone or fat carry the same molecular errors as other tumors, making them ideal subjects for the discovery of new therapies

Detecting Illicit Nuclear Materials *

Richard Kouzes

The installation of radiological monitoring equipment in the United States and overseas is helping thwart nuclear terrorism

Water Fountains with Special Effects *

Said Shakerin

Although they were likely invented just to deliver water, fountains became much more than reservoirs early in human history

Charting Color from the Eye of the Beholder *

Edward Landa, Mark Fairchild

A century ago, artist Albert Henry Munsell quantified colors based on how they appear to people; specializations of his system are still in wide scientific use

Cheating Viruses and Game Theory *

Paul Turner

The theory of games can explain how viruses evolve when they compete against one another in a test of evolutionary fitness

* access restricted to members and subscribers

SCIENTISTS’ BOOKSHELF

When in Gombe...

Michelle Merrill

A review of The Cultured Chimpanzee: Reflections on Cultural Primatology, by William McGrew. A brief overview of the evidence that culture is not exclusively the province of human beings.

See all book reviews for this issue.

DEPARTMENTS

COMPUTING SCIENCE

Group Theory in the Bedroom

Brian Hayes

An insomniac's guide to the curious mathematics of mattress flipping

MACROSCOPE

Better Collision Insurance

Russell L. Schweickart, Clark R. Chapman

Asteroids smaller than those now being actively catalogued constitute a largely neglected natural hazard

SIGHTINGS

A Terabyte of a Twister

Felice Frankel

Donna Cox of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications talks about the challenges of working with scientists to create visual representations of severe storms

MARGINALIA

Judging Einstein

J. Donald Fernie

Before most physicists would believe the claims of relativity, they required proofwhich would come in the form of a solar eclipse

ENGINEERING

Next Slide, Please *

Henry Petroski

As the Kodak Carousel begins its slide into history, it joins a series of previous devices used to add images to talks

SCIENCE OBSERVER

Investigating a Mega-Mystery

Amos Esty

Two recent studies try to help unravel the causes of late Pleistocene extinctions