Science at the Frontier -- Copyright -- Foreword -- Contents -- 1 Geology -- THE GREAT HEAT ENGINE: MODELING EARTH'S DYNAMICS -- How the Earth Works -- A New Model of the Earth -- How the Model Came to Be -- New Methods and Tools for Working Geologists -- Sharpening the Focus on the Earth's Dynamics -- Hot Spots, French Polynesia, and the "Superswell" -- Is Volcanism an Essential Part of the Cycle? -- Dynamics in the Core and the Magnetic Field -- Evidence in the Fossil Record -- Geology of the Other Planets -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 2 Photosynthesis -- ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS: CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS FOR CONVERTING LIGHT TO ELECTRICITY AND FUELS -- Photosynthesis In Nature -- Photons and the Physics of Light Energy -- Harvesting Photons and Putting Them to Use -- The Reaction Center -- Laboratory Photosynthesis: Important First Steps -- Excited-state Electron Transfer in Synthetic Systems -- Lessons for and from the Construction of Photodiodes -- Photovoltaic Cells -- Construction of Typical Solar Cells -- Use of Liquid Semiconductor Junctions -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 3 Dynamical Systems -- WHEN THE SIMPLE IS COMPLEX: NEW MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES TO LEARNING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE -- The Mathematics of Dynamical Systems -- Historical Insights-Implications of Complexity -- Sensitivity to Initial Conditions -- Chaos, Determinism, and Information -- Instabilities and Real-world Systems -- Implications for Biology? -- The Role of Computers and Computer Graphics -- Bibliography -- 4 Astrophysics -- LOOKING FARTHER IN SPACE AND TIME -- Gravity's Shadow: the Hunt for Omega -- The Texture of the Universe -- The Big Bang Picture of the Universe -- Basic Measurements in Space -- Redshift Provides the Third Dimension -- Quasar Studies Provide a Model -- Dark Matter Seen Through the Lens of Gravity.

Discovering the Blue "Curtain" -- Gravity's Role as a Lens and a Cosmological Force -- The Formation of Stars -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 5 Gene Regulation -- GENE CONTROL: TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AND MECHANISMS -- How DNA Works -- The Role of DNA -- Noncoding DNA-Subtlety, Punctuation, or Just Plain Junk? -- The Central Dogma of Biology -- Transcription Factors -- Drawing Lessons from Simpler Organisms -- Exploring the Details of Binding Protein to DNA -- Using the Power of Genetics to Study Transcription -- Activation-Another Role of Transcription Factors -- The Transcription Factor in Development -- Is Cancer Gene-Encoded Growth Gone Awry? -- Life Itself -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 6 Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- NEW BREAKTHROUGHS IN MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS -- The Physics and Computation Behind MRI -- How MRI Generates Information -- T1 and T2 Relaxation Times as Data -- T1 and T2 Time as a Diagnostic Lens -- Looking More Closely at the Complexities of Relaxation -- Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine -- Soft Tissues-Even Bone and Moving Joints-Are Prime MRI Targets -- Unparalleled Views Inside the Skull -- Capturing Fluid Motion with MRI -- Contrast Agents -- Spectroscopy and Diffusion Weighting -- Prospects -- Bibliography -- Recomended Reading -- 7 Computation -- BEYOND THEORY AND EXPERIMENT: SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH SCIENTIFIC COMPUTATION -- The Machinery of the Computer -- Digital Electronics -- The Physical Character of Computer Circuitry -- New Directions in Hardware for Computation -- Computing with Light -- The Optical Environment -- The Computer's Programs-Algorithms and Software -- Wavelets -- Experimental Mathematics -- Implementing Software for Scientists -- The Sciences of Complexity -- Cellular Automata -- The Electronic Future Arrives -- Bibliography -- 8 Atmospheric Science.

RESEARCH AND REGULATION: SCIENCE'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLIC DEBATE -- Helping Regulators Define the Problem -- Regulation-are the Correct Questions Being Posed? -- Chemistry in the Atmosphere -- Ozone as a Protective Shield -- Ozone as a Pollutant -- Getting the Numbers Right -- Nighttime Chemistry -- Computational Experimentation -- More than a Tool, the Computer Provides a Framework -- Reframing the Laws of Pollution Control -- Science in the Public Interest -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 9 Neural Networks -- COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE: A WINDOW TO UNDERSTANDING HOW THE BRAIN WORKS -- Computation and the Study of the Nervous System -- Neural Networks of the Brain -- From Computers to Artificial Intelligence to Connectionism -- Models-Attempts to Enhance Understanding -- Computation and Computers -- Turning Top-down and Bottom-up Inside Out -- Inadequacy of the Computer as a Blueprint for How the Brain Works -- The Computer as a Tool for Modeling Neural Systems -- Accounting for Complexity in Constructing Successful Models -- The Parallel, Distributed Route to New Insights -- Vision Models Open a Window on the Brain -- Motion Detectors Deep in the Brain -- Brain Algorithms Help to Enhance Vision in a Messy World -- The Leap to Perception -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 10 Physics -- QUASICRYSTALS AND SUPERCONDUCTORS: ADVANCES IN CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS -- Superconductivity -- A Brief History -- Start of a New Era -- Challenges Posed by High-temperature Superconducters -- Development of New Theories -- Progress Toward Practical Applications -- Quasicrystals -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- Appendix -- SECOND ANNUAL FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM -- Topic: Astrophysics -- Topic: Atmospheric Science -- Topic: Computation -- Topic: Dynamical Systems -- Topic: Gene Regulation -- Topic: Geology.

Topic: Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- Topic: Neural Networks -- Topic: Photosynthesis -- Topic: Physics -- Index.