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The October 9 issue of JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association contains three special articles commemorating this year's basic and clinical awards from the Lasker Foundation: J.B. Robbins, R. Schneerson, P. Anderson, D.H. Smith, "Prevention of systemic infections, especially meningitis, caused by Haemophilis influenzae Type b: Impact on public health and implications for other polysaccharide-based vaccines," JAMA, 276:1181-5, 1996. R.F. Furchgott, "The discovery of endothelium-derive

Gregory Milman, chief of the pathogenesis and basic research branch in the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has written a lengthy document containing down-to-earth advice on applying for SBIR grants. It is available on the Web at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/newsletter/maya/sbir/cover.htm. For more information about the SBIR conferences sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Small Business Administration, conta

After serving as chairman of the United States Senate subcommittee on science, technology, and space, Vice President Al Gore brought a technological and environmental bent to the White House. In addition to Gore's background, Clinton's 1992 pledges to build up the country's technology infrastructure, shift some R&D spending away from defense, and "significantly strengthen" the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, may have raised expectations that a Clinton presidency would b

AT ISSUE: Promega Corp.'s sale of Taq polymerase for PCR has riled Hoffmann-La Roche. It's David vs. Goliath in a battle of biblical proportions over the patents for a crucial enzyme in molecular biology. The Goliath in this case is the century-old health-care giant Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. The Basel, Switzerland-based company employs 50,500 people and had 1995 sales of 14.7 billion Swiss francs ($11.8 billion). David is the Promega Corp. of Madison, Wis., a biological reagent company with 420

The effort to collect samples of DNA from diverse populations strives to overcome alleged public misunderstanding of its aims. SIDEBAR: For More Information MISINTERPRETED: "We need to show that this is just not a group of self-perpetuating insiders," says HGDP committee chairman Ken Weiss. Members of a National Research Council (NRC) panel evaluating the issues-both controversial and prosaic-surrounding the proposed Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP) have their hands full. Conceived abou

MISCONDUCT POLICY: University of Illinois' C.K. Gunsalus cites problems of oversight in academia. Is science in crisis? Scientists, historians, administrators, and others have debated this issue over the last few decades. The controversial topic was the impetus for a September 19 conference at George Washington University (GWU). Panelists at the day-long symposium, titled "Science in Crisis at the Millennium," think something has gone awry. Keith Yamamoto, University of California, San Franc

As Congress readied for recess, approaching the end of the 1996 fiscal year on October 1, it hurriedly passed several spending bills for fiscal year 1997. Some, such as the Veterans Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies bills, included provisions for various R&D agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other agency budgets, such as that of the Department of Health and Human Services, weren't

THIRD WHEEL: Ross Perot, the Reform Party candidate, does not include science as one of the high-priority issues that must be addressed by the country's next president. H. Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire and Reform Party candidate who is making a second straight run for the presidency, declines to provide a specific position on science and technology. In a faxed response to a request from The Scientist, the Perot campaign writes: "Our nation faces many challenges as we prepare for the 21st

Human Genome Diversity Project http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/morrinst/HGDP.html Rural Advancement Foundation International http://www.charm.net/~rafi/rafihome.html UNESCO Report http://www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~macer/PG.html Cultural Survival, a nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Mass., that works with indigenous peoples http://www.cs.org. The summer 1996 issue of the Cultural Survival Quarterly is almost exclusively devoted to the issues surrounding HGDP. Human Genome Organiz

Discoveries announced at conference leave scientists feeling optimistic; yet their enthusiasm is tempered by several persistent concerns. AIDS researchers have many reasons to be encouraged. Studies show that treatments combining new and old drugs can control HIV levels in the blood. Moreover, many scientists and activists note, prevention efforts have helped reduce HIV infection rates. Yet the enthusiasm is tempered by several caveats. Drugs are expensive and have harsh side effects, leading

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Joan Combie's small company finds microbes in Yellowstone National Park. A small yet growing opportunity exists for biochemists and engineers interested in turning "extremozymes" into industrial catalysts. In nature, these peculiar enzymes fuel microbes that live in scalding sea vents, hot springs, and other adverse locales. Such hardiness means extremozymes might function in hotter, more high-pressure manufacturing conditions than can today's industrial enzymes. As a res

Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part election series examining the positions of presidential candidates Bob Dole and Bill Clinton on science and technology as well as research and development. Clinton will be the subject of the second part of the series, to be published in the October 14 issue. The combination of his proposed 15 percent income-tax cut and current federal budget constraints has observers wondering how science funding will fare if former senator Bob Dole is elected pr