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Describes how lessons taught by quantum games could be crucial in the field of quantum computing. Reasons why quantum moves do not always improve a game's outcome; Variety of superpositions and entanglements that are possible in a quantum game; Researchers' application of quantum mechanics to games that simulate evolution, stock markets and game shows; How quantum games might help frustrated particles resolve certain dilemmas.

Offers tips on making a scientific experiment to determine how the Earth produces its magnetic field. Description of the Earth's magnetic field; Use of computer models in refining the experiment; Information on the devices that are being developed by Daniel Lathrop, Daniel Sisan and Woodrow Shew at the University of Maryland in Baltimore; Importance of having a huge volume of madly churning molten metal to study the Earth's core. INSET: Pole to pole to pole.

Interviews Simon Cole, a science historian, about fingerprinting as a technique in investigating a crime. His opinion about the reliability of fingerprinting; How fingerprinting gained its reputation for infallibility; Steps taken in matching a fingerprint.

Provides information on the discovery of supersymmetry, which could open horizons for particle physics. Overview of the standard model of particle physics; How supersymmetry could solve problems in standard model; Information on superpartners; Uncertainty of the supersymmetry; Study of muons in measured magnetic field.

Discusses power consumption by computer processing demands and the possibility that it could limit computer performance. How power factors into the design of processors; Problem of heat produced by microprocessor chips; Details of how power might be conserved; Strategy of parallelism in saving power.

Describes an experiment involving a single molecule made of sixty carbon atoms, also known as a buckyball, which bounced when a single electron hit it. Finding that the molecule moved in accordance with principles of quantum mechanics; Possibility of a future field called quantum electro-mechanics, which focuses on the link between electronic and mechanical motion; Implications for electronics and nanotechnology.

Reports on the decision of CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, to dismantle the Large Electron Positron Collider (LEP). How the LEP will be replaced by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC); How researchers were searching for the Higgs boson, the particle thought to give all other particles their mass; Competition to find the Higgs with Fermilab.

Discusses the development of the Next Generation Space Telescope by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Inability of the telescope to receive on-site repairs after its launch, due to the distance it must travel to escape radiation from the Sun; Comparison of the telescope with the Hubble Space Telescope; Plans of NASA to launch a test satellite; Funding for the telescope.

Examines the mysterious dark matter that holds galaxies together. Discovery of the speeding up of the expansion of the universe by astronomers; Assumption of astrophysicists on the dark matter as another manifestation of dark energy; Reconstruction of Einstein's theory of gravity on the brane.

Examines the durability of human bones. Presence of sacrificial bonds in human bones designed to break under stress; Effect of rupturing the chemical bonds on the durability of human bones; Analysis of the energy absorption of a rigid bone.

Features the discovery of superconductivity of carbon by researchers Guo-meng Zhao angd Yong Sheng Wang. Potential to carry current with no resistance at room temperature; Effects of magnetic fields on fibers of carbon; Theories of superconductivity.

Cites research findings on why beer decomposes into smelly chemicals when exposed to light. Effect of light on the chemical isohumulone in hops; Significance of the research on efforts to create better beers that last longer in bottles.

Discusses the concept of spintronics, a kind of electronics. Aims of controlling streams of electrons; Use of spin to encode data; Conditions for the retention of spin-polarization in a semiconductor.

Reports on the United States Postal Service's issuance of a stamp to commemorate the centenary of the birth of physicist Enrico Fermi. Use of a photograph of Fermi standing in front of a blackboard on which he has erred on the equation for the fine-structure constant; Scientists' bafflement at how Fermi could have made a mistake on the equation; Ways in which the U.S. Postal Service obscured the mistake.

Reports on the discovery of the process in making a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) by physicists Jakob Reichel and Claus Zimmermann in Germany. Formation of BEC through merging of atoms of certain elements into a single quantum state cased by cooling; Use of wires deposited on a chip in creating magnetic fields; Application of quantum-computing atom bits representing zero, one or a mixture of both at the same time.

Focuses on the the development of a more precised interferometer, improving the method known as interferometry. Use of light to measure tiny movements; Potential benefits of the improved method; Developers of the technique.

Reports on the development of software to track intruders and saboteurs in the home. Use of digital camera and personal computer; Handling of the task of image alignment; Application of the software to make sure that children are behaving.

Focuses on the evidence of supersymmetry in cosmic rays from deep space in the United States. Use of High Energy Antimatter Telescope in detecting positrons; Origin of cosmic-ray positrons; Number of positrons detected in every 100 electrons.

Focuses on the missile defense plan of President George W. Bush in the United States. Inclusion of a system intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles; Disadvantages of the boost-phase interception; Necessity of a manoeuvrable interceptor during boost-phase.

Opposes the proposal of leaving to the United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) the responsibility of funding ground-based telescopes in the U.S. Views of Vanden Bout, director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the issue; Possible disadvantage of the proposal on the budget plan of NASA; Expectations of astronomers on the impact of the proposal.

Discusses the finding of astronomers regarding the first atoms that formed after the big bang theory of the universe. Period covered by the cosmic dark ages after the big bang; Origins of the cosmic dark ages; Information on the quazar discovered by astrophysicist Robert Becker; Telescopes used by Becker and his colleagues to study the quasar.

Focuses on research which showed that a fundamental constant in physics and the speed of light might have changed slightly over time. Information on the findings of astrophysicist John Webb regarding the measurement of the fine-structured constant.

Deals with an experiment in which the quantum interference was demonstrated in a flowing liquid. Details on the experiment; Experimental results; Scientists who conducted the experiment; Connection between superfluid helium and superconductivity.

Reports that the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration will launch the Microwave Anisotropy probe (MAP) on June 30, 2001 which could get an uninterrupted view of the light from the big bang. Historical background on the light from big bang; Benefits of the MAP.

Reports that researchers have found out that neutrinos made in the Sun can change to other types en route to Earth. Information on the study which used results from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Ontario, Canada; Types of neutrino; Historical background on the neutrino problem.

Focuses on the effort of Charles Horowitz and Jorge Piekarewicz in the United States to measure the thickness of the neutron stars with the use of the neutrons from atoms. Information on neutron stars; Details on the magnitude of lead nucleus; Correlation of the star's crust with the lead nucleus' skin.

Focuses on a study conducted by Albert-Laszio Barabasi of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana which associated the success of business markets to the quantum behavior of certain gases. How a business network is related to frequency nodes; Explanation on a process called Bose-Einstein condensation; How the study was conducted.

Deals with the study conducted by Vincent LaBella and colleagues at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville on spin currents. Effect of atomic-scale imperfections in semiconductor surfaces on spinning electrons; Potential applications of spin currents; Challenge posed by spin currents.

Reports on the trick of puffing out a spherical cloud of gas performed by a young star not too far from Earth. Ideas about young stars; How a formed star 2000 light years from Earth in the Constellation Cepheus appears to have contradicted the theory on stars; Information on a study on microwave emissions from the water vapor.

Provides information on a study which examined the radiation coming from a black hole using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. Source of the oscillating radiation; Significance of the findings to astrophysics.

Provides information on a discovery, using the Boomerang and MAXIMA microwave telescopes, of the presence of peaks in the power spectrum of ripples. Position of the peak; Remarks from Paul Richards of University of California in Berkeley; Description of the ripples.

Assumes that the solar system could be sitting at the center of an optical illusion and that our galaxy could exist in a particularly empty region of space. Hypothesis of astronomers who discovered that distant galaxies appear to be accelerating away from the earth; Why studies of supernova in distant galaxies seem to point to a speeding up in the expansion of the universe; Evidence of dark energy.

Discusses the outlook for the discovery of a particle produced by the radioactive decay of the nuclei of carbon and beryllium. Theory of the pseudoscalar boson by Fokke de Boer, et al; Outlook for the discovery of the particle by Peter Paul.

Focuses on the expansion of the Universe. How light from a supernova suggests that the Universe is filled with dark energy that stretches space, making it expand faster; Evidence of a faster expansion than previously expected; Description of dark energy.

Discusses the idea of John Wikswo and Grant Skennerton to use SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) magnetic field detectors to detect corrosion in aircraft. Weakening effect of corrosion on aircraft; Outlook for aircraft maintenance.

Discusses the efforts to set an accurate standard for capacitance. Use of the farad as a unit of capacitance; Plans of Mark Keller et al to count 10 million electrons on a pair of ultra-cold electrodes to measure their voltage.

Reports on theories to explain the formation of dimples in snow-covered fields. Idea that the diffusion of sunlight through snow creates the dimples by melting some areas; Comparison of the effect to that of semiconductors by Eric Nodwell; Cooperation of Nodwell with Tom Tiedje to produce a theory.

Reports on the ability of physicists to detect forces by recording a force of two attonewtons. Outlook for the detection of protons and electrons using magnetic resonance imaging; Comments of Chris Hammel of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Reports on the idea by physicists that sand piles attempt to arrange themselves into four-dimensional spheres. Discussion of disordered systems; Research of sphere ordering by Gerry Seidler et al; Discussion of four-dimensional shapes.

Discusses a meeting of physicists from the American Physical Society to discuss work in superconducting. Discovery of magnesium diboride, a superconducting material; Address of Jun Akimitsu at the meeting; Outlook for the use of magnesium diboride in superconducting.

Discusses the efforts of researchers to cool atoms to absolute zero. Behavior of fermions and bosons when cooled; Quantum states of the particles; Work of Deborah Jin on the project; Mixture of lithium to cool the atoms.

Reports on innovations in using variations in the gravitational field to detect underground bunkers or sinkholes. Use of a gravity gradiometer, which measures the rate at which the strength of the field changes; Success of the technique as used by the Air Force Research Lab.

Discusses the theory of mathematician Keith Devlin of St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, that mathematics is gossip about abstract ideas. His identification of nine mental tools essential for doing math; Necessity of language to think in the abstract; How gossip is related to our capacity for abstract mathematics.

Offers the opinion that police use rigid interpretation of language to deny criminals their rights. Linguist Janet Ainsworth's assertion that suspects tend to lapse into a deferential mode after being arrested; Argument that courts should recognize the intent behind less forceful requests.

Discusses the Babar experiment in matter-antimatter at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in Palo Alto, California. The Babar team's research into whether B-meson particles and their antimatter counterparts are exact mirror images; Details of the initial findings.

Discusses the magnetic discrepancy in the subatomic particle known as a muon, which may provide evidence for the theory known as supersymmetry. The experiments in supersymmetry theory at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York; Details of the standard model of subatomic particles; The expectation of finding new particles, because of the discrepancy in magnetism.

Discusses the plans of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration to land the NEAR-Shoemaker space probe on the asteroid Eros. Study of Eros by the probe; Description of the asteroid.

Reports on the finding by Damien Hutsemekers that the light from quasars in the same part of the sky is polarized in roughly the same direction. Idea that the universe was once a tangle of swirls; Description of quasars; Questions as to the creation of galaxies.

Discusses the efforts of researchers to create quark-gluon plasma. Competition between the CERN particle physics lab in Switzerland and Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York; Role of the plasma in the creation of the universe.

Questions the importance of the sciences to the administration of United States President George W. Bush. Impact of science and technology on economic growth; Efforts of Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham to abolish the U.S. Department of Energy; Concerns regarding the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).