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Jack E. Oliver took two major risks 17 years ago when he moved from Columbia University to Cornell University to rebuild the geology program. First he proposed a research project that relied on an untested scientific technique. Then he proposed an unusual strategy for carrying out the fieldwork. In his quest to probe the 25-mile-thick slab of rock that makes up the earth’s crust, Oliver wanted to use sound waves to describe subterranean structures. But he didn’t buy the fleet of

The Department of Energy’s recruit is said to signal ambitious plans in gene sequencing research WASHINGTON—When the Department of Energy announced last month that Charles Cantor would direct its new center for the study of the human genome at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory it was making clear its intention to remain a major player in that field of study, despite NIH’s primary role. Cantor is a world-renowned bioengineer who has done pioneering work on techniques to separat

Mononucleosis, the “kissing disease,” has brought the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation and Johnson & Johnson closer together. Last month, the FDA approved a six-minute mononucleosis test, named Monoalert, that is the first product to reach the market as a result of a 1983 agreement between the research institute and the company. Scientists at Scripps originally identified the amino acid sequence in the virus that causes mono, and constructed a synthetic peptide that detects a

Driven by a vision that reaches across time, distance, and space, the International Space University opened its doors last month, welcoming an elite group of students and faculty from around the world. For nine weeks at MIT, 105 graduate-level students from 20 countries will study such topics as space policy and law, space architecture, and satellite applications with experts from academia, industry, and government. The unique program—founded by two graduate students—will occur n

Is a genetically engineered tomato still a tomato? Biotech firms and major food companies are addressing questions such as this through the newly formed International Food Biotechnology Council. The Washington-based group has been charged with drawing up guidelines to evaluate the acceptability of food, food ingredients, and food processes arising from biotechnology. Co-organized by the International Life Sciences Institute and the Industrial Biotechnology Association, the council has 30 membe

A veterinary pathologist’s odyssey out of academia to become CEO of one of Europe’s hottest startups On the wall of Keith McCullagh’s office hangs a framed picture showing one of his company’s advertisements. “British biotechnology has come a long way since 1953,” says the legend above a picture of Francis Crick and James Watson, the discoverers of the double helix structure of DNA. For McCullagh, the snappy slogan has a double meaning. As it happens, Br

Astronomers are used to surprises, so they ought to be more than comfortable at the 20th General As- sembly of the International Astronomical Union in Baltimore next month: First, there is no pre-published program listing titles of talks to be given. Second, the main topic of conversation won’t be what anyone expected when the conference was planned. The intent had been to analyze —and celebrate—the latest findings from the Hubble Space Telescope. By midsummer 1988, the Hubb

Inside the Bush, Dukakis camps: Science advisers are named, but most downplay their role, and their advice seems absent WASHINGTON—With the presidential election hardly more than four months off, U.S. scientists face the possibility of seeing the issues dearest to them ignored in the campaign. While economic and national security questions have been batted back and forth for months now, science policy has yet to be a major topic of discussion for either George Bush or Michael Dukakis.

What’s a scientist to do when an eclipse is best seen at sea? Commandeer an ocean liner On a dark night last March, the Queen Elizabeth II was sprinting across the Java Sea, tossing aside waves like an impatient leviathan. Nine mighty engines throbbed at full throttle, and the crew navigated through poorly charted waters with all the urgency and care of wartime maneuvers. But the ocean liner wasn’t rushing to deliver troops—as it had during the Falklands conflict--nor even

New Wave Eager venture capitalists and the tools of genetic engineering are opening up medicine’s final frontier: the brain Survey the landscape of recent science startups, and you would notice a trend: Small neurobiology companies are sprouting up on both coasts—an estimated 15 companies have been founded in the past three years. Then stake out the nerve centers of the large pharmaceutical corporations, and you’d find that, one way or another, most of them are pumping big

Take one creative scientist-turned-entrepreneur hawking a hot new technology. Sit him next to a venture capitalist hungry for investment opportunities. And, just to mix things up a bit, toss in a corporate executive on the prowl for a new product to bring to market. What have you got? All the ingredients for a potent dish of startup success, says John T. Preston, director of technology licensing for MIT Preston should know. A recent study identified 404 MIT alumni-founded companies in Massac

A Noble Gesture Toward Plant Biology The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, long active in medical research and agriculture, is taking bids on building a laboratory and recruiting staff for a new division of plant biology. By September of this year, the foundation hopes to have a core of 20 of its own researchers, which will expand to 40 in the next four or five years. The division will fund in-house research as well as supporting labs at other institutions. Plant biologist Richard Dixon arrive