Science, July 4, 2008

Cover
A mosaic of visible to near-infrared images of the surface of Mercury, obtained by the MESSENGER spacecraft on 14 January 2008. The circular feature in the upper right is the Caloris impact basin, 1500 kilometers in diameter.

Special Section: MESSENGER
Mercury, up-close again.

Preserving Iraq's Battered Heritage
Archaeologists have feared for Iraq's unique archaeological treasures since war began 5 years ago. Now, despite continued unrest, a team returning from southern Iraq bears surprisingly good news.

Epilepsy: When Death Strikes Without Warning
After years of neglect, a devastating effect of epilepsy, sudden death, is drawing new scrutiny.

Competing Teams Plot Two Different Paths to a New Particle Smasher
To make a new collider, physicists in Japan plan to push an existing machine to its limits. Others in Italy hope to cobble one together from old parts and a bright idea.

Self-Sorted, Aligned Nanotube Networks for Thin-Film Transistors
Treating silicon substrates with a silane layer allows them to absorb spin-coated, semiconducting carbon nanotubes, yielding aligned and densely packed nanotube films.