Scientific American - January 2011

Consciousness 100 Trillion Brain-Cell Connections Health Hotbeds for New Flu Strains January 2011 ScientificAmerican.com Research Robo Scientists in the Lab How internal fertilization changed the course of evolution The Real Sexual Revolution © 2010 Scientific American S:15" HOW A STRATEGY TO HELP A REGIONAL STORE GO NATIONAL Goldman Split.indd 1 11/23/10 3:31:32 PM IS S:15" S:9.4375" IS PUTTING THOUSANDS OF JOBS BACK ON THE MAP PROGRESS IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS When a chain of retail stores needed capital to expand, we helped them find it. Soon, new stores were opening in other towns and other parts of the country. Providing value for families and job opportunities for thousands of inventory specialists, warehouse supervisors and managers in training. goldmansachs.com/progress ©Goldman Sachs, 2010. All rights reserved. Goldman Split.indd 2 11/23/10 3:31:33 PM on the cover Fish fossils indicate that copulation in back­boned animals originated more than 25 million years earlier than previously thought and hint that it was a driving force in our evolution, helping to establish the anatomical foundation for legs, repro­ductive organs and perhaps even jaws in the lineage of creatures that ultimately led to humans. Illustration by Owen Gilder­sleeve. January 2011 Volume 304, Number 1 40 feature s Evolution Neuroscience 34 Dawn of the Deed Fish fossils push back the origin of copulation in backboned animals and suggest that it was a key turning point in our evolution. By John A. Long Space 58 100 Trillion Connections The noise of billions of brain cells trying to communicate with one another may hold a crucial clue to understanding consciousness. By Carl Zimmer Environment 40 Contact: The Day After If we are ever going to pick up a signal from E.T., it is going to happen soon, astronomers say. And we already have a good idea how events will play out. By Tim Folger Infec tious Disease 46 Flu Factories A new effort to monitor the evolution of influenza viruses in pigs faces resistance. By Helen Branswell Energy 52 In Search of the Radical Solution The greatest energy payoffs, says investor Vinod Khosla, will come from fundamentally reinventing mainstream technologies. Interview by Mark Fischetti Ecology 56 Seeds of the Amazon Botanists have collected seeds from one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. By Anna Kuchment 64 Casualties of Climate Change Shifts in rainfall patterns and shorelines will contribute to mass migrations on a scale never before seen.  By Alex de Sherbinin, Koko Warner and Charles Ehrhart Computer Science 72 Rise of the Robo Scientists Machines can devise a hypothesis, carry out experiments to test it and assess results—without human intervention. By Ross D. King Public Health 78 Radioactive Smoke The tobacco industry has known for decades how to remove a dangerous isotope from cigarette smoke but kept the information secret. The government now has the power to force a change.  By Brianna Rego 2  Scientific American, January 2011 Photography by Grant Delin © 2010 Scientific American Tough, yet beautiful. Visually stunning and incredibly tough, Corning® Gorilla® Glass will change the way you think about glass. Its exceptional damage resistance helps protect today’s most sophisticated electronic devices from the scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use. Corning Gorilla Glass is currently featured on hundreds of the world’s coolest smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Is it on yours? Learn more at CorningGorillaGlass.com ©2010 Corning Incorporated. All rights reserved. L17561_1a_SA.i