Spring/summer 2008

The prevailing wisdom in artificial intelligence is that humans learn by storing a system of rules. But you won't learn to play tennis by sitting in a room reading about the sport. Asim Roy says there is a profound truth to the saying that "practice makes perfect." --by Carrie Barnett

How many products contain nanoparticles? More than you might realize. Nanomaterials are present in everthing from bicycle parts to vitamin supplements. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry

Electric utilities are in the business of selling electrons. But these days they are promoting conservation and asking customers not to buy as much of their product. Is going Green purely an altruistic move? Actually, it's also good business strategy. --by Carrie Barnett

Clarinetist Robert Spring is quick to dispel the myth that musicians are born into their talent. During one of his early auditions the instructor actually stopped him and said, "Boy, you're not very good." But Spring was determined. Today he is an endowed professor of music who has performed on six continents. His audiences respond as if they are watching a rock star. --by Sheilah Britton

mars update thumbWhen the Phoenix Mars spacecraft reached the Red Planet, fields of giant boulders threatened to destroy the lander on touchdown. ASU Mars researchers helped guide the lander to a safe, boulder-free spot using the Thermal Emissions Imaging System (THEMIS).

Direct democracy is all about asking the public to decide which programs are worthy of funding and which are not. But Daniel Sarewitz says this is an absurd way to fund science. --by Nicholas Gerbis

So you want to build a better baseball player. How do you proceed? Maybe you'd combine the hitting eye of Alex Rodriguez with the fielding range of Derek Jeter. ASU robotics expert Tom Sugar is building a better ballplayer with a four-wheel drive transmission and a camera with a zoom lens. --by Skip Derra

Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot! Everyone remembers the childhood rhyme. But is it true? ASU nutritionist Donna Winham tested the theory. --by Melissa Crytzer Fry

If you want to understand how likely doctors are to use information technology, look at how they get paid. --by Carrie Barnett

A male jumping spider cannot hide his intentions. A brilliant red face signals that the spider is in search of a mate.