Computing Science
Magazine
March-April 2008
March-April 2008
Volume: 96 Number: 2
Although it's called a bean, coffee is actually the seed of a berry, usually with two housed per fruit. From humble origins in the Ethiopian region of Africa to the modern worldwide morning ritual of grinding and brewing, coffee's journey spans several centuries and was rife with misunderstanding and misrepresentation in early scientific illustration. In "The Rise of Coffee," Fernando E. Vega explains that as the demand for coffee grew, its depictions reached heights of intricacy and accuracy. The author describes the plant's natural history as well as some of the chemistry behind the flavorful beverage. Coffee is now entering the modern scientific age, with research poised to uncover some of the genetic underpinnings of the seed's traits and flavors. (Image courtesy of Fernando E. Vega, from Jean-Louis Augustin Loiseleur-Deslongchamps,Herbier General de l'Amateur, Paris, 1820.)
In This Issue
- Agriculture
- Art
- Astronomy
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Communications
- Computer
- Economics
- Engineering
- Environment
- Ethics
- Evolution
- Medicine
- Physics
- Policy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Technology
Safer Vehicles for People and the Planet
Thomas P. Wenzel, Marc Ross
Engineering Environment
Motor vehicles contribute to climate change and petroleum dependence. Improving their fuel economy by making them lighter need not compromise safety
Tectonic Plates Come Apart at the Seams
J. Brendan Murphy, Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso, R. Damian Nance, Javier Fernandez-Suarez, J. Duncan Keppie, Cecilio Quesada, Rob A. Strachan, Jaroslav Dostal
Environment Physics
The scars of ancient collisions are the very places where continents rip again
The Rise of Coffee
Fernando E. Vega
Agriculture Economics
From humble origins in Africa, this plant's flavorful seeds started as a botanical curiosity and expanded to a worldwide staple
Mesa Verde Migrations
Timothy Alan Kohler, Mark D. Varien, Aaron Wright, Kristin A. Kuckelman
Anthropology
New archaeological research and computer simulation suggest why Ancestral Puebloans deserted the northern Southwest United States
Scientists' Nightstand
Short takes on three books
David Schneider, Fenella Saunders, Anna Lena Phillips
Communications Review Scientists Nightstand
Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World, Transport Design: A Travel History and Skin: A Natural History
