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My scientific career has been helped along by two marvelous instances of good luck. The first occurred while I was a research student in chemistry at Leeds University where my supervisor was Prof. R. Whytlaw-Gray, the leader of a distinguished school for the measurement of atomic weights. His method depended on the use of a very delicate microbalance to determine the vapor densities of substances in their dilute gaseous states. The problem he gave me was to obtain a new and more precise va

On April 11, 1987, the Italian chemist and author Primo Levi was found dead in his apartment building in Turin. Reportedly depressed over worldwide violence, his deteriorating health, and a case of writer’s block, he apparently threw himself down the stairwell of his building. A survivor of Auschwitz, Levi had written a series of works, including The Periodic Table (Schochen Books, 1984), that intermingled stories of his captivity with metaphysical reflections (see THE SCIENTIST, May 18,

Nothing is certain but death and taxes, goes the old saw. And while there are programs that can help you write your will (and I suppose one could devise a far-fetched scenario involving medical databases) there really isn’t much that you and your PC can do about the former of these certainties. There is, however, a class of programs that can make filling out tax returns more pleasant and less time-consuming, if not outright fun. One of the leading IBM PC programs is TURBO TAX. The lead

The discovery of high-temperature (950K) superconductors has incited a stampede of activity in the last 18 months, not only in research labs, but also in newsrooms and editors' offices. According to the December 1, 1987 issue of High-Tc. Update, 12 new publications in press or planned are aimed at keeping scientists and industrialists up to date on the scientific, governmental and commercial activity involving the new superconducting ceramics. Add to this at least seven existing newsletters th

The 1988 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science confirmed one long.standing suspicion about the association: there’s no staff meteorologist. After subjecting participants to subzero cold and Lake Michigan’s 15-foot waves at last year’s bash in Chicago. AAAS this year decided to take on a howling storm that dropped a foot of snow on Boston. Nevertheless, the SCIENTIST's staffers overcame a closed Logan Airport to bring you the following report

Applying for an academic post is considerably different from seeking a job in industry. Hence, the advice given in "Resumé Writing for Scientists” (September 21, 1987) tells only part of the tale. That article may serve those seeking jobs in industry (the resumé writers), but for those applying for an academic position (the vita writers), I suggest the following: DO: List every dollar you have raised by grants, scholarships, gifts and endowments. Include teaching awards y

WASHINGTON-Congress has several options to strengthen the effectiveness of the White House science adviser and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). But a hearing last month, more tame than some had expected, made clear that no changes are contemplated before the next president takes office. Part of the perception of weakness was attributed to the relatively low profile of the current adviser, William R. Graham; OSTP's modest budget of less than $2 million, and its small staff o

{WantNoCacheVal} Panel Backs Journal Retractions Medical journals should print retractions of questioned or fraudulent research even if the lead author or co-authors have not submitted or approved such statements said a top official of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. "Journal editors have a responsibility to keep the scientific record clear," said Edward J. Huth, a physician and North American coordinator for the international committee. Last month the group published

WASHINGTON-Scientists have begun to consider changes in fundamental publication and research practices in the wake of several well-publicized cases of research misconduct. Panel Backs Journal Retractions Medical journals should print retractions of questioned or fraudulent research even if the lead author or co-authors have not submitted or approved such statements said a top official of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. "Journal editors have a responsibility to keep

WASHINGTON—The Somalia government has commuted the death sentences of two American-trained scientists whose brutal treatment in prison was the focus of an onsite visit by a delegation from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine. The two men, civil engineer Suleiman Nuh Ali and mathematician Abdi Ismail Yonis, have instead received 24-year prison sentences after having been convicted of treason during a trial last month. A spokesman for the Somalia government sa

WEST BERLIN—West German scientists appear to be increasingly unhappy with their government’s decision to boost spending on space research at the expense of fundamental science. The Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research, the principal state organization funding applied sciences, has come out against the 16 percent increase for space planned in the country’s 1988 R&D budget. It echoes earlier criticism from the Max Planck Society, which is devoted to basic

WASHINGTON-A $363 million request for the Superconducting Supercollider, part of the Department of Energy's proposed research budget, faces an uncertain future in Congress. DOE officials will face some tough questions on the SSC at hearings later this week, said Edd Nolan, an aide to Rep. Tom Bevill (D-Ala.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee on energy and water. Bevill "doesn't know where the money is going to come from," said Nolan. The new proposal would consume one-fift