The revelation that a computer worm disabled a safety system in a US nuclear power station in January has led to fresh calls for security on electricity grids to be overhauled. Experts say much of the grid's critical infrastructure is too accessible to the virus-ridden public internet.
Michael Levi observes that threats of preemptive nuclear strikes against Iraq have alarmed the public and hurt America's image--and for no good reason: Tactical nuclear weapons have little if any military value.
Siddharta Mukherjee argues that government funded crusades to find cures for specific diseases or ailments are often counterproductive because "the more narrowly you define a scientific goal--hoping to focus and streamline discovery--the more you potentially logjam the discovery process itself, setting technology back as a result."