Glenn Harlan Reynolds argues against subtle government efforts to shut down or limit civilian nanotechnology research.

James Pinkerton argues that recent environmental protests against space expansion to the moon and Mars is futile because it won't influence the People's Republic of China which is "intent on both expanding its terrestrial economy as quickly as possible and also space-racing into the extra-terrestrial vacuum left by America's post-Apollo retreat from the moon."

Glenn Harlan Reynolds analyzes the recent attention to the ethics of neuroscience research.

The author defends recent U.S. proposals for the "Total Information Awareness" surveillance database by arguing that "if properly regulated, would be far less threatening to our freedom and privacy than the likely alternatives."

The author argues that society should evaluate proposed government surveillance proposals on their merits and not rush to judgement, "even in the defense of civil liberties."

The author speculates that given Russia's changed security environment their muted response to the U.S. decision to deploy a missile defense system may be a sign that they have "learned to stop worrying and love the shield."

Noah Shachtman dispels the hype surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles, arguing that the current generation is "so slow, dumb, noisy, and near-sighted that almost anything stronger than a peashooter could take them down."

Glenn Reynolds reports on the growing efforts to define rights for robots and artificially intelligent programs.

The author surveys the developments in military robotics, speculating that "the days of the naive eighteen-year-old who entered the military either for adventure, economic security, or character development may go the way of colorful battlefield uniforms and horse-cavalry."