Fly by Wire: Who needs rockets? Power and thrust from 25 miles of cable in space - Scientific American (August 2004)

B I O T E C H N O L O G Y42 Back to the Future of Cereals BY STEPHEN A. GOFF AND JOHN M. SALMERONMarrying traditional plant breeding with genetic insights, a technology called marker-assisted breeding could help launch a new green revolution.S P A C E F L I G H T50 Electrodynamic Tethers in Space BY ENRICO LORENZINI AND JUAN SANMARTÍNBy exploiting fundamental physical laws, tethers may provide low-cost electrical power, thrust, drag, and artificial gravity for spaceflight.M E D I C A L T R E A T M E N T S58 Virtual-Reality Therapy BY HUNTER G. HOFFMANPatients can get relief from pain or overcome their phobias by immersing themselves in computer-generated worlds.N U C L E A R W E A P O N S66 Nuclear Bunker Buster Bombs BY MICHAEL LEVINew burrowing nuclear weapons could destroy subterranean military facilities—but their strategic and tactical utility is questionable.I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y74 Next Stretch for Plastic Electronics BY GRAHAM P. COLLINSOrganic semiconductor devices can make more than just bendable displays. They will find use in wearable electronics and innumerable other applications.C O S M O L O G Y82 Questions That Plague Physics A CONVERSATION WITH LAWRENCE M. KRAUSSThe physicist and best-selling author discusses the puzzles of dark energy, black hole evaporation, extra dimensions and more.P U B L I C H E A L T H86 Arsenic Crisis in Bangladesh BY A. MUSHTAQUE R. CHOWDHURYArsenic in drinking water could poison 50 million people worldwide. Strategies now being tested in Bangladesh might help prevent the problem. Cover......Page 1 Table of Contents......Page 2 SA Perspectives: The Green Gene Revolution......Page 4 On the Web......Page 5 Letters to the Editors......Page 6 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago......Page 8 News Scan......Page 9 Innovations: Penny-wise Smart Labels......Page 21 Skeptic: Miracle on Probability Street......Page 23 Insights: From Finish to Start......Page 24 Back to the Future of Cereals......Page 26 Electrodynamic Tethers in Space......Page 34 Virtual-Reality Therapy......Page 42 Nuclear Bunker Buster Bombs......Page 50 Next Stretch for Plastic Electronics......Page 58 Questions That Plague Physics......Page 66 Arsenic Crisis in Bangladesh......Page 70 Working Knowledge: Seeing Inside......Page 76 Technicalities: Crippled but Not Crashed......Page 78 Reviews: Speaking for the Animals......Page 80 Anti Gravity: One Hundred Years of Magnitude......Page 82 Ask the Experts......Page 83