The Seeds Of Ignorance The problem of convincing Congress to fund plant research mentioned in "Genome Mapping Progress Catapults Plant Research" (Scott Veggeberg, The Scientist, Feb. 22, 1993, page 13) has caused a "downward spiral in basic plant-biology research and training," according to the National Research Council's 1992 report Plant Biology Research and Training for the 21st Century (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.). One likely reason for the lack of support for plant biology

John Wilkes' call for scientists to communicate more with the public (The Scientist, Jan. 8, 1990, page 15) is an excellent idea, but he seems to underestimate the negative consequences. In addition to being ignored by promotion and tenure committees for their popular writing and becoming the object of ridicule by colleagues, there is often open contempt shown for scientists who write for popular audiences. The recommendation to write a letter to the local newspaper sounds great, since a scient

The letter from Rep. George E. Brown, Jr., of California (The Scientist, Aug. 7, 1989, page 12) predicting a trend toward increased emphasis on science education seems overly optimistic unless administrative priorities are altered to promote science education. The National Science Foundation has a Presidential Young Investigator Awards Program "... ... to put in place the highest quality faculty members for educating the next generation of professional scientists and engineers” (NSF Pu