MIT President Vest to Step Down
A prominent national voice on issues of R&D and education says he'll retire from MIT's top post.
Story Archive
The Second Most Important Property of the Web
Companies aiming to cut site development costs tend to de-emphasize usability. A new markup language-XHTML2-should help put an end to that unwise trend.
Medieval Global Warming
A controversy over 14th century climate shows the peril of letting politics shape the scientific debate.
Media Literacy Begins at Home
Parents have more control than ever before over how popular culture influences their kids. The trick is to treat media as an ally rather an enemy.
Fiber Optics Takes the Long Way Home
Despite decades of experiments, big telecom companies are moving ever so sluggishly to extend fiber optics to individual residences.
The Smart Phone Moves Up a Grade
PalmOne scores with the Treo 600: a powerful PDA that looks (and is marketed like) a cell phone. But software glitches mar its performance.
The Myth of Doomed Data
The handwringing about obsolete formats is misguided. The digital files we create today will be around for a very, very long time.
Hold the Salt
An innovative desalination technique could go from the lab to the land next year--but skeptics abound.
Flower Dance
News from around campus
Blue Light, Red Light
A new method for detecting deadly pathogens within seconds could become a front-line defense against bioterrorism.
