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You’ve seen research institutions spin off commercial companies; now the reverse is beginning to happen. Stratagene Cloning Systems, a four-year-old, 35-scientist biotechnology firm based in La Jolla, Calif., is one of the most recent entrepreneurial firms to set up its own nonprofit institute, the California Institute of Biological Research. Such an institute has certain advantages over companies when attracting scientists: It has none of the for-profit taint” to which some researc

EMERYVILLE, CALIF.—Six-packs of Budweiser and individual bottles of Coors, Michelob, and Miller line a laboratory shelf in the Aquanautics corporate headquarters. But they’re for work, not play. Scientists at the young firm hope that the beers will prove to be Aquanautics’ savior—transforming a company founded on a pipedream to a company thriving on innovation. If they have their way, Aquanautics’ 14 scientists will guarantee us fresher-tasting beers. Why do we ca

Citing the intellectual stimulation of collaboration, the American Society for Cell Biology and the American Society for Biochemistry arid Molecular Biology will hold their annual meetings together for the first time ever next year. After all, notes president Tom Pollard of the ASOB, the two groups share many members and a desire to understand life processes at the molecular level. The 28th annual meeting of ASCB and the 80th annual meeting of ASBMB is scheduled for January 29 through February

Prescriptions. Third-party payments. Health maintenance organizations. What do these have to do with science? That’s exactly what research scientists in the American Psychological Association have been asking for the past two decades as they watched psychologists in professional practice increasingly dominate the APA. Why should they put up with debates over health insurance and hospital admitting privileges? Why should they slog through conventions devoting more time to counseling techn

After years of hype, the national aerospace plane may finally be lumbering off the ground. Gone are the visionaries who spent years promoting proposals that have turned out to be little more than pipe dreams. Replacing them is a group of practical scientists and engineers. They admit that they are working on an experimental prototype that may never fly, much less carry passengers. Ironically, though, it’s just this kind of pragmatic talk that could bring the project the credibility it will

Creating machines that truly mimic the mind has long been the Holy Grail of computer scientists. And like the path to that mythical prize, the quest for artificial “brains” that can balance a checkbook or recognize flaws in aircraft engines with all the aplomb of a human is strewn with failed attempts But now there is a promising new contender. The approach goes by the name artificial neural network, because it works by duplicating the neural structure of the brain and it is already

Picture this You’re in an isolated corner of Easter Island, leading a research expedition peopled by lay volunteers who have actually paid for the privilege of helping you find and catalogue a series of ancient rock paintings. You’ve hiked for hours over extremely rough terrain to get to your site, a cliffside so precipitous that the volunteers have to be anchored to solid ground with ropes. Out of the blue, a female vol unteer approaches you and asks if there’s anyplace nearby

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—In 1981, two years after Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher first attacked Britain’s slack management and bloated work forces, a powerful government committee decided to apply her doctrines to the nation’s universities. Out came the budget knife, and every university suffered cuts. A few of the cuts were so severe that they stunned even supporters of austerity measures. And the worst hit university, everyone agreed, was Salford, an establishment in a depressed

End Peer Review Several articles in the July 25 issue of The Scientist focus on one of the major problems that we are having in American science and why we are losing our technological edge to other countries. The articles on “blue sky” funding [from British Petroleum] and “renegade” researchers, and the editorial about Uncle Sam needing more good scientists all illustrate problems that have roots in the peer-review process. It is well known that people with innovative,

Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry has submitted its budget proposals to the Finance Ministry and, as usual, they provide a strong indication of the fields Japan intends to concentrate on next. Among the hot topics targeted by MITI are: " Artificial intelligence—MITI recommends that a study group of computer experts be convened to examine new approaches, such as neural network computers, which could be used to build a machine that imitates human thought. " Superc

The move to streamline the paperwork for federal grants is gaining steam. A new set of simplified rules has been in effect experimentally with Florida schools for three years, arid when designers of the streamlining project asked for volunteers to test the procedures nationwide, 50 institutions signed up. Meanwhile, the number of federal agencies participating has grown from five to eight, and NASA has been attending meetings on the system and may join soon. Currently taking part are: NIH, NSF,

Hazardous wastes study. $25,000 from the General Electric Foundation to Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C. HEALTH SCIENCES Mental health. $19,500 from the Chicago Community Trust to the University of illinois at Chicago for the Pacific/Asian American Mental Health Research Center Obstetrics. $32,535 from the Ford Foundation to International Women’s Health Coalition, New York, for research on reproductive health care in Indonesia Geriatrics center. $1 million from the Sarah and