CARDIFF, WALES--Scientists at the First International Conference on the Release of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms here have called for international guidelines on dissemination of new organisms. But they stopped short of formal recommendations on international regulation of genetic engineering. Deciding against a final communique, they deputized a member of the UK government’s watchdog committee over recombinant DNA, John Beringer, to carry their concerns to the Organization for

It’s not easy, at first sight, to discern signs of ideological harmony between biologists who are working toward the environmental dissemination of genetically altered organisms and “activists” who are deeply apprehensive about the idea. Look more closely, however, and one argument appears as a possible basis for unity: the need for far greater investment in the ecological research necessary for prudent development of this novel range of technologies. As reflected in the ag

COPENHAGEN—Government cut-backs have jeopardized the survival of one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious research centers. The Niels Bohr Institute, named in honor of the Danish pioneer of quantum theory, “will die out totally if we continue to lose permanent positions at the present rate,” said its director, Knud Hansen. “We simply cannot finance research posts for new, young scientists to replace those who are leaving through retirement and to take jobs ov

Reviews Two More for the World Sci-Tech Series AUTHOR:BERNARD DIXON Date: March 21, 1988 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE USSR Longman Guide to World Science and Technology, vol. 6. Michael J. Beny, ed. Longman, Essex, UK, 1988. 405 pp. £63. Distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Gale Research Co., Detroit. $95. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM Longman Guide to World Science and Technology, vol. 7. E. Walter Kellerman Longman, Essex, UK, 1988. 131 pp. £63. Distributed in the

Alongside triviality, unoriginality and, nowadays, dishonesty, one attribute for which journal editors are particularly vigilant in papers is obesity. Some research reports are, of course, necessarily bulky documents. This is especially true in fields such as high energy physics, where a collaboration of several dozen physicists and machine staff may be necessary to describe the design, outcome and analysis of experiments that take many months. At the other end of the scale, few if any worthwh

HOW TO DO IT Vol 1. British Medical Association, London, 1985. 266 pp. £6.95. Vol 2. British Medical Association, London, 1987. 208 pp. £6.95. Distributed in the U.S. by Taylor & Francis, Philadelphia. $14.95 each. How to search the literature, use a word processor, write for money and run a pressure group to change the law—these are just four of the punchy, practical articles in a series that is now appearing regularly in the British Medical Journal. Published in its entiret

LONDON - The Thatcher government has decided to scrap existing schemes to help individual companies commercialize their research, in favor of support for a long-term collaborative effort between universities and industries throughout Europe. At the same time it is adding $35 million to the budget of the Department of Trade and Industry for innovative programs, and plans to continue its support for new high tech firms. "The government should not take on responsibilities which are primarily tho

Exchanges, Acronyms And More EUROPEAN COLLABORATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The Science and Engineering Policy Studies Unit of the Royal Society and the Fellowship of Engineering. 6 Canton House Terrace, London SW I Y 5AG 1987. 93 pp. (25&27 pounds. overseas, Including postage and packing.) BY BERNARD DIXON Anyone needing to distinguish labels such as DIANE (Direct In formation Access Network for Europe) from BRIDGE (Biotechnology Research for Innovation Development and Growth in Europ

Roughing up the media is a sport played by scientists the world over, whenever two or more are gathered together. Some of the illegations tossed around on these occasions are wildly misdirected - as when biochemist, Tart attacks newspaper reporter Haig for giving publicity to the theories of chemist Robertson. Others are wildly unrealistic—as when physicist Dole criticizes television host Kennedy for not describing his work vith all of the calculated cautions and caveats found in his 6,00

Roughing up the media is a sport played by scientists the world over, whenever two or more are gathered together. Some of the illegations tossed around on these occasions are wildly misdirected - as when biochemist, Tart attacks newspaper reporter Haig for giving publicity to the theories of chemist Robertson. Others are wildly unrealistic—as when physicist Dole criticizes television host Kennedy for not describing his work vith all of the calculated cautions and caveats found in his 6,00

WHO’S WHO IN SCIENCE IN EUROPE A Biographical Guide in Science. Technology, Agriculture, and Medicine. Fifth edition. Longman Group Ltd.. Essex, UK, 1987. 3 vols. 2,880 pp. £395. Distributed in the United States and Canada by Gale Research Co., Detroit, MI. $695. Despite initial astonishment at finding distinguished Spanish biochemist and new UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor’s name omitted, and mild amusement on discovering that social scientists continue to be ignored

A large passenger transport organization in Britain issued a poster rejoicing over the reliability of its services The poster compared the number of occasions when passengers reached their destinations in accordance with the timetable with the number of delayed arrivals. “The red dots ran late,” said the headline. “The black dots ran on time.” And the message seemed clear enough. Black dots so greatly outnumbered the red ones that they appeared to occupy almost the whol