COMMENT
Science in Mainstream Media
Forensic geology can be a powerful hook to pull people into the scientific world.
Sarah Andrews

8 NEWS NOTES
Grand Canyon floods * Honeybee survival stings impact theory * Frozen volcanism on Titan * Revealing a rune stone's secrets * Opportunity snaps Meridiani on Mars * El Niño drives rainfall * Stalagmite shows connected climate * Acid rain curbs global warming * Horses' mouths date Sierra Nevada uplift

17 POLITICAL SCENE
Stacking Up the New Congress
The new members of Congress will join the ranks this month in shaping national policies on energy and the environment.
Emily Lehr Wallace

36 GEOPHENOMENA
Getting to the Source of the Puget Sound Oil Spill
Nearly three months after a large oil spill offshore Tacoma, Wash., investigators are still trying to identify the source.
Naomi Lubick

38 TECHNOLOGY New Tools for Finding Life on Mars
Counter-bioterrorism research is leading to the development of a new generation of technology for detecting life on the Red Planet.
Nancy Ellen Roth

40 EDUCATION
Astronaut Geology Field Training
For 40 years, astronauts have been prepping for their extraterrestrial terrains and orbital missions by learning about geology down on Earth.
William R. Muehlberger

42 ENERGY & RESOURCES
Heavy-metal sponge
Remotely sensing rock types
Mineral of Month: Chromium

44 PROFILES
Norman Newell: Legendary and versatile
In Memoriam: David M. Delo and Michel T. Halbouty

46 GEOMEDIA
TV: Forensic geology on the small screen
Books: On the Shelf: Forensic Geology — Fact and Fiction
Books: Rock of Ages: A review of Ancient Earth, Ancient Skies
On the Web: Soils site and the FBI lab
Maps: South Dakota mapping

60 GEOLOGIC COLUMN
Mount Everest, Nevada
Finding a permanent storage site for the nation's nuclear waste is a problem of mountainous proportions.
Fred Schwab

DEPARTMENTS

 4 From the Editor
 6 Letters: Perspectives from readers
34 Where on Earth?
51 Benchmarks: Looking back in Geotimes
52 GeoMarketplace
53 Classifieds: Career opportunities

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