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Issue 21
FEATURES
MACHINE INTELLIGENCEHumans and machines have different kinds of intelligence, Robin Marantz Henig discovers. And while replicating the way we think and talk and socialise is extraordinarily complex, it is not impossible. 
THE MIND GAPReverse-engineering the human brain is a challenge that is vastly more complex than anyone had anticipated – and one we will have to crack if we want to create artificial, human-like intelligence. Nevertheless, Alan Finkel argues that these goals may be finally within reach. 
ELEMENTAL VISIONForget rockets: advances in nanotechnology may soon make a trip into the cosmos as easy as riding elevators into space, says Kristin Ohlson. 
THE BIG MELTThe massive ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica were expected to take thousands of years to respond to global warming – until scientists suddenly found they were actually melting much, much faster, as Tom Clynes recounts. 
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOURIt's had scientists puzzled for years – why are some space probes slowing down, but not others? While the effect began with the Pioneer spacecraft, it seems to be spreading, reports Richard A. Lovett. 
AN OCEAN WILDERNESSAs big as California, the world's largest protected marine area recently opened for business, and it's already doing a brisk trade in conservation. Christopher Pala went island-hopping in Micronesia to find out more. REGULAR SECTIONS
PORTRAIT: MARTIN SALE
This Adelaide neurological physiotherapist has a magnetic brain stimulator, and he's not afraid to use it. EXPRESS: NEWS
The latest happenings in science. SNAPSHOT: Birth of a spaceport
The International Space Station: where it's at and who has grabbed a piece of the action. INTERVIEW: Animal empathy
Can animals feel emotions? Primatologist Frans de Waal talks to Cosmos about his latest findings and thoughts on empathy in the animal kingdom. GALLERY: Into the wild
Striking images from the winning entries of the international Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, showing the variety and wonder of the natural world. FIRST PERSON: Dwarfs and giants
It was once thought a quirk of evolution found only on islands. But then marine biologist Craig R. McClain found it in the most unexpected place: the sea floor. ART & DESIGN: Celestial bodies
Turning the evolution of the universe into an intricate dance was a challenge this choreographer and dancer could not pass up. SOCIETY: Mirrors of morality
Could a recently discovered brain cell form the basis of our sense of morality? TECHNOLOGY: Floating is the future
Scientific ballooning continues to propel atmospheric and cosmic research, just as it has since the French Revolution. BIOSPHERE: Silent spring
Deep in the radioactive bowels of the smashed Chernobyl reactor, a strange new lifeform is blooming. MENAGERIE: The Californian ground squirrel
A clever critter that waves its hot tail at snakes to keep the infrared sensitive predator at bay. SPACE: Stealth galaxies
They're massive and have been there on the edge of the known universe for 12 billion years, but they've been too fuzzy and indistinct to be recognised – until now. FICTION: "Delivery"
Take a trip on the 'wombstation' Adelaide as it prepares to colonise the universe. An original science fiction story by Brisbane's Trent Jamieson. OMNIVORE
A browse through the latest in science books and DVDs. OPINION: Why geeks can save the world
Why Clive Thompson thinks the über-nerds care more about the world than you do. 
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