Nanotechnology
Every issue explores cutting-edge developments in technology, medicine, education, climate change, and much more. Articles provide in-depth analyses of science and technology’s impact on public policy, the economy, and society—bringing today’s best minds to bear on tomorrow’s most critical topics.
From the Hill
From the Hill – Summer 2005
House bucks Bush, votes to relax stem cell restrictions Bucking the opposition of President Bush, the House of Representatives in May passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810), which would… Read More
Perspectives
Secrets of the Celtic Tiger: Act Two
Ireland’s brilliant catch-up strategy of the 1990s offers important lessons for countries that want to build a modern technology-based economy. But Ireland is not growing complacent. It knows that a decade of… Read More
Features
The Economic Promise of Nanotechnology
As a U.S. senator, I have championed several initiatives over the past several years to nurture U.S. leadership in innovation. Perhaps none was more exciting than sponsoring the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research… Read MoreArchives – Summer 2005
Photo: NAS Archives Runway Illumination In 1918, aviation was still in its infancy, with a number of basic problems awaiting solutions. One of these was the illumination of airfields for night landings.… Read MoreGetting Nanotechnology Right the First Time
Nanotechnology—the design and manipulation of materials at the molecular and atomic scale—has great potential to deliver environmental as well as other benefits. The novel properties that emerge as materials reach the nanoscale… Read MoreCartoon – Summer 2005
Facing the Global Competitiveness Challenge
The United States today faces a new set of economic challenges. Indeed, for the first time since the end of World War II, U.S. global leadership in innovation is being brought into… Read MoreGames, Cookies, and the Future of Education
In February 1990, President George H. W. Bush joined Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas to embrace the goal that by the year 2000, “U.S. students will be first in the world in… Read MoreThe National Nanotechnology Initiative: Present at the Creation
The United States, which made a major early commitment to nanotechnology in 2000, has been the world’s research leader, but as the promise of nanotechnology has grown the government commitment has flattened.… Read MoreBolstering U.S. Supercomputing
The nation’s needs for supercomputers to strengthen defense and national security cannot be satisfied with current policies and spending levels. In November 2004, IBM’s Blue Gene/L, developed for U.S. nuclear weapons research,… Read MoreA Reality Check on Military Spending
For fiscal year (FY) 2005, military spending will be nearly $500 billion, which is greater in real terms than during any of the Reagan years and surpassed only by spending at the… Read MoreHarnessing Nanotechnology to Improve Global Equity
Developing countries usually find themselves on the sidelines watching the excitement of technological innovation. The wealthy industrialized nations typically dominate the development, production, and use of new technologies. But many developing countries… Read More
Real Numbers
The Global Water Crisis
People living in the United States or any industrialized nation take safe drinking water for granted. But in much of the developing world, access to clean water is not guaranteed. According to… Read More
Book Reviews
Thinking about the indeterminate
Judge Richard Posner, a prominent legal scholar and a leading intellectual of our time, has explored a dazzlingly diverse array of subjects. He seems to write thoughtfully faster than I can read… Read More
Green Urbanism
In Native to Nowhere, Timothy Beatley builds on the rich literature about the importance of the built environment in fostering and strengthening a sense of place in a community. Thanks to… Read More