COVER STORY
Guth's Grand Guess By Brad Lemley
Physicist Alan Guth may have figured out what put the bang into the Big Bang that started the universe. His inflationary theory is bringing science to the brink of answering one of the largest questions of all: Why is there something rather than nothing?

FEATURES
Driving Simulator By Sam Hooper Samuels
You're creeping up a winding mountain pass after one too many drinks when a semi comes barreling around the bend. Luckily, you're behind the wheel at the National Advanced Driving Simulator.

Talking Plants By Sharman Apt Russell
Some plants use chemical signals that not only repel insect enemies but also help to put neighboring plants on alert so they can mount their own defenses.

Bad Genes, Good Drugs By Jeff Wheelwright
Will meticulously scanning the human genome for subtle mutations in DNA lead to viable therapies for complex diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and mental illness?

Killing Whales with Sound By Susan McCarthy
The noise made by ships, underwater drilling operations, and sonar devices may be causing whales to beach themselves and die. Meanwhile, debate rages about what can be done about it.

Notes from Another Universe By Jennifer Kahn
The line between mainstream physics and the creative ramblings of maverick theorists is often unclear. Just ask the keepers of the notorious X-files at the University of California at Berkeley.

DEPARTMENTS

Letters

R&D
BREAKING NEWS: Rogue genes turn up in the birthplace of corn; astronomers relive the days when the universe lit up; exploding silicon offers ultimate privacy; a new study finds grave risks from air pollution; computer circuits get molecular; colored shirts defeat racism; and more.

Future Tech By Philip Ball
Novel materials make light behave as if in a mirror-image world. The potential payoff: supersharp lenses, better MRIs, and DVDs that can hold 100 movies.

Vital Signs By Pamela Grim
Why does this belly ache?

Works in Progress By Karen Wright
Evolutionary insights emerge from a long-lived collection of short-lived flies.

The Biology of . . . Panic By Jocelyn Selim
Nearly every phobia, including fear of spiders, heights, and crowds, may spring from a single stretch of DNA.

Sky Lights By Bob Berman
Inspired by the tortoise and the hare, engineers replace fiery rockets with poky ion engines and solar sails.

Reviews
Books: Fallout revisits the birth of the atomic bomb. Also, E. O. Wilson offers a master plan in The Future of Life.
Exhibits: NetWorld demystifies the Internet.
Toys: Robots from cardboard.

Bogglers By Scott Kim
Love triangles and a Möbius strip.

NeuroQuest By Eric Haseltine
Lure your sixth sense out of hiding.