PHYSICS: Will NIF Live Up to Its Name?

The National Ignition Facility (NIF)--if it works as advertised, which is by no means certain given all of NIF's problems (see main text)--will pump almost 2 million joules of laser energy into a BB-sized pellet of hydrogen. But the bigger question is whether the pellet will actually achieve ignition--that is, undergo a sustained nuclear reaction that gives off as much energy as was put in? Most scientists on the project are cautiously optimistic, but others have grave doubts.     

PARTICLE PHYSICS: Enhanced: How Strange Is the Proton?

Nucleons (protons and neutrons) have been extensively studied over the past 30 or 40 years, but our knowledge of their internal structure remains rather limited, largely because the nucleon's constituents, the quarks, are so tightly bound that the nucleon cannot be taken apart. As Rosner discusses in his Perspective, scattering experiments are providing increasingly detailed information about the spatial distribution of charges, spins, and currents within the nucleon. He highlights the work by Hasty et al., which goes a long way toward determining the role of "strange" quarks, originally thought not to play a role in ordinary matter.     

Infectious disease-resistant pigs: Will they fly?

正Cloven hoof animals have been a major source of nutritious animal protein for humans for at least 10 000 years. Over this time many were domesticated into livestock and some were put under selection for traits of importance or cultural preference. Accompanying domestication, diseases were transmitted from livestock to humans as a result of living in close quarters. Eight of 15 major chronic, temperate diseases, including diphtheria, influenza A, measles,     

Will retinal implants restore vision?

A number of research groups are developing electrical implants that can be attached directly to the retina in an attempt to restore vision to patients suffering from retinal degeneration. However, despite promising results in animal experiments, there are still several major obstacles to overcome before retinal prostheses can be used clinically.     

Will growth hormone swell milk surplus?

A debate is raging over whether commercial introduction of bovine growth hormone will exacerbate the financial problems of small dairy farmers.