As Bob spoke about his boyhood in Philadelphia, his coming of age as a young Harvard intellectual, and the factors that fueled his preoccupation with the history of science and the behavior of scientists, I was touched by a variety of emotions. As often during the 30 years or so that I've known him, I was fascinated by his capacious intellect and his knack for originating concepts and expressing them in clear, evocative terms. (Whet

As Bob spoke about his boyhood in Philadelphia, his coming of age as a young Harvard intellectual, and the factors that fueled his preoccupation with the history of science and the behavior of scientists, I was touched by a variety of emotions. As often during the 30 years or so that I've known him, I was fascinated by his capacious intellect and his knack for originating concepts and expressing them in clear, evocative terms. (Whet

It was disappointing to learn that linguistic chauvinism has reared its head once again in the form of a law proposed several months ago by Jacques Toubon, France's Minister of Culture. Ostensibly, the measure promoted the purity of the French language. Among its sillier provisions, the law banned in official communications thousands of words such as "weekend" that are in common use throughout France, but are not etymologically hom

It was disappointing to learn that linguistic chauvinism has reared its head once again in the form of a law proposed several months ago by Jacques Toubon, France's Minister of Culture. Ostensibly, the measure promoted the purity of the French language. Among its sillier provisions, the law banned in official communications thousands of words such as "weekend" that are in common use throughout France, but are not etymologically hom

A Prerequisite To Success In Science Two recent articles--one in the New York Times Magazine, the other in Nature--set me to thinking about the role pure genius plays in stimulating and sustaining the scientific enterprise. On one hand, individual displays of awesome intellect can certainly be inspiring; but I suspect they can also be discouraging for budding researchers who realize that their grasp on things will never equal that

A Prerequisite To Success In Science Two recent articles--one in the New York Times Magazine, the other in Nature--set me to thinking about the role pure genius plays in stimulating and sustaining the scientific enterprise. On one hand, individual displays of awesome intellect can certainly be inspiring; but I suspect they can also be discouraging for budding researchers who realize that their grasp on things will never equal that

Importance Of Biomedical Research TI : The May 30 edition of The Scientist carried the full text of an unprecedented document--a consensus statement endorsed by more than 150 diverse research organizations, professional societies, corporations, and other institutions--urging increased federal support for basic biomedical research. I fully support all of the points made in this statement, and I earnestly hope Congress and the Clint

Importance Of Biomedical Research TI : The May 30 edition of The Scientist carried the full text of an unprecedented document--a consensus statement endorsed by more than 150 diverse research organizations, professional societies, corporations, and other institutions--urging increased federal support for basic biomedical research. I fully support all of the points made in this statement, and I earnestly hope Congress and the Clint

New York Times Magazine of April 17 (page 19) humorously addresses the problem of "Address Proliferation." The writer cynically observes that "stationery is becoming top- heavy." The item laments the passing of the good old days, when "all you needed was an address." Thanks to "E-mail mania," letterheads now are so cluttered with information that there is little room left for a message. The writer refers to the appearance of E-mail a

New York Times Magazine of April 17 (page 19) humorously addresses the problem of "Address Proliferation." The writer cynically observes that "stationery is becoming top- heavy." The item laments the passing of the good old days, when "all you needed was an address." Thanks to "E-mail mania," letterheads now are so cluttered with information that there is little room left for a message. The writer refers to the appearance of E-mail a

The Scientist extends its congratulations to the men and women who will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences next week at the organization's annual meeting. Their achievements and the reasons for this moment of special recognition by the academy are recapped in Neeraja Sankaran's front-page report. For some of these scientists--those who tend to keep a low profile as they go about their work--such highly visible acclaim m

The Scientist extends its congratulations to the men and women who will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences next week at the organization's annual meeting. Their achievements and the reasons for this moment of special recognition by the academy are recapped in Neeraja Sankaran's front-page report. For some of these scientists--those who tend to keep a low profile as they go about their work--such highly visible acclaim m