Bizarre Particles and Spacetime Braids Solve Impossible Problems. Computing With Quantum Knots (04.2006)

A S T R O P H Y S I C S
38 The Mysterious Origins of Solar Flares BY GORDON D. HOLMAN Researchers begin to understand how the dynamics of the solar magnetic field trigger titanic eruptions of the sun’s atmosphere.
M E D I C I N E
46 New Hope for Defeating Rotavirus BY ROGER I . GLASS After 30 years of investigation, vaccines against the leading cause of lethal childhood diarrhea are ready for market.
COVER STORY : INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
56 Computing with Quantum Knots BY GRAHAM P. COLLINS Braiding the spacetime trajectories of bizarre particles called anyons might be the best way to make quantum computing practical.
I N T E L L I G E N C E A N D E V O L U T I O N
64 Why Are Some Animals So Smart? BY CAREL VAN SCHAIK The unusual behavior of orangutans in a Sumatran swamp suggests that a culture of learning drives increases in brainpower.
T R A N S P O R T A T I O N
72 Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction BY JOSEPH J. ROMM & ANDREW A. FRANK As car buyers turn to fuel-sipping gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, a new generation of even greener hybrids is just coming over the horizon.
B I O T E C H N O L O G Y
80 An Antibiotic Resistance Fighter BY GARY STIX A new compound stops bacteria from evolving defenses against antibiotics by preventing them from mutating.
E C O N O M I C S
84 Does Globalization Help or Hurt the World’s Poor? BY PRANAB BARDHAN The answer is: both. The real question is how to maximize the helpfulness and minimize the harm.