Popular Mechanics in October

Intentionally sinking ships is a strategic maneuver dating back to ancient times. This spring, that tactic was used in Donuzlav Bay, Crimea, where two Black Sea Fleet ships were sunk – the anti-submarine vessel Ochakov and the tug Shakhtar. Read more about what happened in the latest issue of the magazine.

In Science, the article “Children of three parents" explains how methods for preventing mitochondrial diseases might make human reproductive cloning possible.

The Technology column contains a unique “History in Motion" section. It is difficult to imagine any interesting magazine without striking photographs and beautiful graphics. But how does one illustrate stories about objects and events predating photography? You could use reproductions of period paintings or illustrations based on written descriptions of the subject, or you could literally recreate scenes from the distant past, using modern motion technology to produce animated images that “come to life" when viewed with a special film.

In the Weapons section, the article “Evil does not see, evil does not hear" reports on sound and light weapons that stun the enemy with bright light and powerful sound. Readers will also find a report from a Defense Ministry virtual firing range.

In this issue:

Lost sounds;
Rendezvous with a comet;
What did Kulibin invent?
The “needle" over the bay;
A digital “truck;"
Helicopter without a motor;
Attack of the nanobots;
Adding muscles to batteries;
Flying over the Hudson River;
How “steel" was tempered.

The October issue went on sale September 23. The iPad version of the magazine is available at the App Store and the PDF version from Zinio.