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Featured Story
Fallout From Universal Studios Blaze Centers on Fake City's Grid
With water pressure mysteriously low, a bizarre movie set provides ideal kindling for a massive fire—again. Could "Doc" Brown's Back to the Future clocktower have been saved with building codes, fire lanes and no Hollywood camera trickery? Investigators seem to think so.
Previous Worst-Case Scenarios Stories
| Tracking the Queen of the North Sea Disaster: What Went Wrong For half a century British Columbia ferries had safely navigated the province’s ragged coast. All it took to sink a ship with 101 souls onboard was one 14-minute distraction. (Published in the June 2008 issue)
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| 3 Frontiers in Earthquake Tech to Aid China—and Help the U.S. From a string of GPS units along the California faults to motion-sensor rigs across Japan, researchers have already set their sights on the next generation of earthquake prevention. Could authorities in rural China have used new strategies to avert tragedy?
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| 5 High-Tech Firefighting Tools Headed for the Front Lines From heat-sensing UAVs to fire-predicting software, here are five bleeding-edge technologies coming soon to a fire department near you.
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| Inferno on the Interstate: What Went Wrong? Though the official accident report won't be released for several months, interviews with experts and first responders reveal elements common to many chain-reaction pileups contributed to the accident: poor road conditions, low visibility and heavy traffic. (Published in the April 2008 issue)
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| As Killer Avalanches Strike, Tech to the Rescue in Backcountry With at least five Americans succumbing to the snow in one January weekend, science continues to battle winter's white killer—but can technology trump recklessness in the backcountry? (Published in the March 2008 issue)
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| I Am Legend's Junk Science: Hollywood Sci-Fi vs. Reality How much of this sure-to-be blockbuster film is fact, and how much is fiction? We consult experts in the fields of structural engineering, virology and wildlife to determine what could happen—and what certainly won't.
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| 5 Disasters Coming Soon If We Don’t Rebuild U.S. Infrastructure In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, this national security expert called on Congress to stop turning an “irrational and reckless” blind eye to our crumbling public foundations. Now he finds more cracks in American hardware that urgently need attention.
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| 7 Steps to Eat, Drink and Be Smart When Worse Comes to Worst A healthy family of four typically consumes a lot more than you'd think—50,400 calories and 14 gal. of water a week. Get a menu for four different lengths of time away from the fridge, plus smart tips on where to find good water. (Published in the August 2007 issue)
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| 107 Pieces of Survival Gear for Your Car, Home and To-Go Bag A well-stocked disaster kit can save lives in a crisis. Relief agencies recommend keeping three days’ worth of essentials in the house at all times, but we recommend you go further. That way, when disaster strikes and there’s no time to think, you won’t have to. (Published in the August 2007 issue)
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| 22 Steps to Save Yourself When Natural Disaster Hits If there are only moments to spare, you need to know how to react to everything from an earthquake to a tornado and a flood to hurricane. Study up on the basics so you can be decisive during the destruction. (Published in the August 2007 issue)
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| View Full Science: Worst-Case Scenarios Archive | ||
Military & Law Enforcement
The New Cold War
PM maps the arms race between Russia and the U.S., with six hotspots and a snapshot of weapons deals.Worst-Case Scenarios
NYC Crain Collapse: Was It Predicted?
After a major collapse in March, causes of the new crash are more obscure. If the crane did meet all city safety regulations, what went wrong?Future of Space
First Pix From Mars!
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander didn't blow up—it shot these breathtaking images of the Martian arctic surface.Drive Green
10 Quick MPG Tips
Our guest MPG geek breaks down the vehicle mods, driving habits and common-sense fixes you need to know to max out your tank.Research
MIT Week
At the breakthrough university, PM's resident geek finds a window into new research, from robotics to race cars.Technology
iPhone 2.0 Countdown
On Monday morning, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will unveil a 3G-enabled iPhone. But are other functions more important?Drive Green
Algae's Big Moment
After years of hype as the mucky green grail of the oil crunch, algae is finally taking on its "impossible" hurdles to move from test tubes to barrels.Extreme Machines
Beyond the LHC
Forget the Large Hadron Collider: These five supersize science projects don’t just look cool—they’re hunting big mysteries.Technology
Turn Your PS3 Into a PC
With a little effort and expense, we turned a PS3 into a Linux computer—without losing any of its gaming goodness. And we're giving it away.Technology
Microhoo: What Would've Been
Yahoo played hard-to-get, and Microsoft walked away, but what would a merger have looked like? Engadget's legal geek weighs in.Drive Green
Top 10 X Prize Cars
The most comprehensive, up-to-date scouting report on the field for the 100-mpg car of tomorrow.Digital Hollywood
Debunking Lost's Science
As the show returns, its creators reveal the making of high-tech mythology—and let slip a few secrets about the island’s future.Special Report
Rebuilding America
PM's report on fixing U.S. infrastructure examines new plans for bridges and beyond.
Health & Medicine
10 High-Tech Health Breakthroughs Coming Soon to Your Body
Election News
Geek the Vote '08
The presidential race hangs in the balance, and PM compiles the candidates' science and tech proposals.Air & Space
Best of PM Aviation
From new personal jets and flying adventures to airport woes and high-tech airliners, take to the skies with us.Election News
Primary Sci/Tech Issues
The Democratic race winds down as Hillary Clinton tries to hang on against Barack Obama. Get behind their policies—and John McCain's—with PM's Geek the Vote '08 guide.
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Current Issue
Google X Prize, Mythbusters & More!
Want to take $20 million off Google's hands? Our DIY guide to building a lunar rover could make you the next X Prize winner—really.Reviews
Future Warfare: New DVD
PM's four-hour, two-disc set deploys battle footage, CG animation, live-action weapons testing and expert interviews to examine everything from robot warriors to UAVs.