Angela Again

For the second year in a row, Forbes Magazine tops its list of most influential women with physicist ANGELA MERKEL, who also happens to be Chancellor of Germany. (Getting a research job is hard, so a woman does what she can.) Merkel was born in the former East Germany, entered politics only after the fall of the Berlin Wall, yet became Germany's youngest postwar chancellor. The magazine particularly cited Merkel's work chairing the Group of Eight summit this year and persuading them to agree on goals for greenhouse emissions. Her work in physical chemistry has prepared her well for a position of leadership. Perhaps she can help steer Europe toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.