The 2008 recipients of the MacArthur Fellowship, or "genius" grant, range from an astronomer to a neuroscientist to an urban farmer to a saxophonist. The $500,000 grants are awarded yearly with no stipulations. Anonymous nominators recommend the most creative individuals in their specific field and the MacArthur Selection Committee and Board of Directors chooses individuals with "exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work." Learn more about this year's fellows here.