Bernard Dixon
European Editorial Office
The Scientist
Uxbridge, U.K.
" One source of unease about the deliberate release of genetically engineered microbes for agricultural and other applications is the inadequacy of present techniques for monitoring the movement of certain types of organism. The answer: gene probes, which also provide new information about the relations between different groups of bacteria.
T.C. Hazen, L. Jimenez, "Enumeration and identification of bacteria from environmental samples using nucleic acid probes," Microbiological Sciences, 5 (11), 340-3, November 1988.
" A first-class socioscientific row is threatened by publication of a report apparently demolishing the plausible notion that regular drinking affords some protection against coronary heart disease. To what extent does the higher cardiovascular mortality among nondrinkers reflect the proportion of unhealthy former drinkers in this group?
A.G. Shaper, G. Wannamethee, M. Walker, "Alcohol and mortality in British men: Explaining the U-shaped curve," The Lancet, II (8623), 1267-73, ...
