Новости науки и техники в "Scientific American"

IC CHIPS BRING DIGITAL QUALITY TO CONVENTIONAL RADIOS

On long road trips, it's frustrating to have your favorite Coltrane jam or Mozart suite crackle and fade away-or worse, to hear Pink apparently singing harmony with Pink Floyd. Weak, intermittent radio reception and interfering channels are familiar banes for motorists, but Motorola says it has an alternative to hitting the tuner's "seek" button yet again, one that can lock onto and pull in a station even when it's more noise than signal.

STAR CLINCHES CASE FOR MILKY WAY'S SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

The discovery of a star orbiting the center of the Milky Way galaxy provides compelling evidence that a supermassive black hole lurks there, according to a new study. Previous research had pointed to the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, but the observations could still be explained by other theories. Now new findings all but rule out those alternatives.

BOOKSTORE: INTELLIGENCE, RACE, AND GENETICS: CONVERSATIONS WITH ARTHUR R. JENSEN Frank Miele

Arthur R. Jensen is the psychologist who set off an enduring controversy with his 1969 article in the Harvard Educational Review holding that an individual's IQ is largely attributed to heredity, including racial heritage, and that efforts to boost IQ educationally do not achieve much. Miele, senior editor of Skeptic magazine, set out to "skeptically cross-examine" Jensen on his views. The questions and answers traveled by e-mail, but they read like a conversation. Jensen, now professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, holds that the scientific evidence is stronger now than it was in 1969 that IQ is highly genetic, that race is a biological reality rather than a social construct, and that the cause of the 15-point average IQ difference between blacks and whites in the U.S. is partly genetic. Miele hopes the exchange will enable the reader "to decide for yourself whether Jensenism represents one man's search for provisional, not metaphysical, truth through the continuous and vigorous application of the methods of science ...or a dangerous diversion back down a blind alley of old and disproven ideas, deceptively dressed up in modern scientific jargon."

RADAR CAN PROBE SOIL'S STRUCTURE

Determining whether or not a swath of soil will lend itself to agricultural use usually requires extensive testing, which may disrupt the soil and can be time-consuming. To that end, a new report outlines a quick, noninvasive way of estimating soil's suitability for planting. Researchers have used microwave radar to determine the physical and mechanical properties of a section of earth without disturbing it.

WORM'S USE OF COPPER COULD POINT TO NOVEL MATERIAL DESIGNS

Although it's not much to look at, the marine bloodworm may help researchers design new materials that are hard and durable yet lightweight. It is the first creature discovered to contain a copper biomineral. In addition, the way the element interacts with proteins within the worm could inspire novel material designs.

SCIENTISTS SPY DOZENS OF NEW FROG SPECIES IN SRI LANKA

The world's amphibian population has generally been waning. But biologists have recently discovered more than 100 new species of frogs in the rain forest of Sri Lanka. The scientists say the find classifies the island as "an amphibian hot spot of global importance."

ASK THE EXPERTS: WHY ARE SNOWFLAKES SYMMETRICAL?

Miriam Rossi, an associate professor of chemistry at Vassar College, explains.