Economic Stimulus
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 – Winter 2012
R&D funding picture continues to be mixed On November 18, President Obama signed into law the first two bills governing spending for fiscal year (FY) 2012, which began October 1. As is… Read More
Perspectives
A Course Adjustment for Climate Talks
With little hope that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process will produce an effective treaty, at least for the next several years and perhaps longer, are there other… Read MoreToward a Common Wireless Market
Imagine a world where you can buy a mobile phone, and if you have problems with service—say, poor reception at home—you can move to a different service provider that offers better reception… Read More
Features
Improving Spent-Fuel Storage at Nuclear Reactors
The nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, which began with an earthquake in March 2011 and continues today, is casting a spotlight on nuclear reactors in the United States. At the Dai-Ichi nuclear… Read MoreArchives – Winter 2012
LEE BOOT, Insight 1234, Inkjet print of a digital composition, 24 x 36 inches, 2011. Insight 1234 In 2010, Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences engaged artist Lee Boot… Read MoreRevitalizing U.S. Manufacturing
At a recent Washington, DC, conference on the state of U.S. manufacturing, the head of one prominent economic policy think tank was asked, “How much of its manufacturing sector can the U.S.… Read MoreReducing Oil Use in Transportation
The public’s interest in reducing oil consumption has ebbed and flowed for decades, first prompted by the supply shocks of the 1970s and persisting today because of concerns about the buildup of… Read MoreBetter Skills for Better Jobs
In 2008 and 2009, the U.S. economy shed more than 8 million jobs; since 2009, the economy has created only about 2 million. Most economists expect the labor market to continue to… Read MoreCalifornia’s Pioneering Transportation Strategy
No place in the world is more closely associated with the romance of the automobile and the tragedy of its side effects than California. Having faced the problem of traffic-damaged air quality,… Read MoreThe Climate Benefits of Better Nitrogen and Phosphorus Management
Nearly four decades have passed since the phrase “global warming” first appeared in a scientific journal. Writing in Science in 1975, geochemist Wallace Broecker warned that rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels… Read MoreBlueprint for Advancing High-Performance Homes
Given the economic devastation caused by the housing industry collapse in the United States and the years remaining until full recovery, it may seem out of touch to be talking about meeting… Read More
Book Reviews
Reducing Nuclear Dangers
Ron Rosenbaum wants us to be worried. His book How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III is intended as an urgent warning that the terrifying dangers of… Read More