Science, August 22, 2008

Cover
Using sunlight to rearrange the chemical bonds
of water into hydrogen and oxygen, as in photosynthesis, would
constitute a practical way to store solar energy as a fuel. Such an
energy source will depend on new catalysts that promote this
fuel-forming reaction cheaply and efficiently.

Turbulent Times for Climate Model
Researchers are
running out of time to finish updating an important U.S. climate change
model that has been hamstrung by the budget woes of its home
institution, the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Shielding a Buddhist Shrine From the Howling Desert Sands
China
is embarking on a major new effort to protect the Mogao Grottoes, a
unique repository of murals and sculptures on the old Silk Road.

Can High-Speed Tests Sort Out Which Nanomaterials Are Safe?
A flood of strange new substances based on ultrasmall particles is forcing researchers to reinvent toxicology.

The Geological Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau
The
geological evolution of the Tibetan plateau is best viewed in a context
broader than the India-Eurasia collision zone. After collision about 50
million years ago, crust was shortened in western and central Tibet,
while large fragments of lithosphere moved from the collision zone
toward areas of trench rollback in the western Pacific and Indonesia.

Star Formation Around Supermassive Black Holes
Simulations
show that the disruption of a molecular cloud by a black hole can lead
to the formation of nearby stars with eccentric orbits, explaining
observations in our Galaxy.

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