Editor's Note: The thorough and timely review of scientific literature pertaining to a researcher's chosen specialty is fundamental to the process of science, says Nobel Prize-winning geneticist Joshua Lederberg. However, says Lederberg--former president of Rockefeller University and now University Professor at that institution--keeping up with the steady, potentially overwhelming flow of significant published documents can be a daunting chore for the diligent, conscientious researcher. In Oct

Each four-year presidential election cycle frames an era of United States politics, including science in high politics. The greenhouse effect, the Valdez oil spill, and biodiversity; AIDS, tuberculosis, and other emerging diseases; fetal tissue research, genome mapping, DNA patents, and DNA fingerprinting; chemical weapons and unemployed Soviet bomb scientists; the space station and the supercollider: The past term has been a busy one for science in the White House. The next term will be b

One milestone of the modern scientific era was the first publication by George W. Beadle (1903-1989) and Edward L. Tatum (1909-1975) on the biochemical genetics of Neurospora (PNAS, 27:499-506, 1941). Its 50th anniversary is being commemorated in several places this summer. Beadle and Tatum's work is worthy of fond celebration not only for its inherent scientific merit--its impact on biochemical research continues to resonate today--but also because it convincingly affirms the value of a kind

In enduring myth, Prometheus was severely punished for giving humankind "every art and science"--the power to defy the forces of Nature. This concern about forbidden knowledge survives today. It is aggravated by inquiry that is both arcane and intensive, as research into DNA, genetic engineering, and the human genome is purported to be. This public anxiety persists despite general satisfaction over the economic and life-extending benefits of scientific progress. Scientific expertise offers a u

One's first emotions about the cultural upheaval in Eastern Europe are joy and relief. Joy for freedom; relief for dramatic changes in the fundamentals of a superpower conflict that has always carried with it the possibility of nuclear war. These first emotions, of course, must be tempered by certain harsh realities, including the ethnic conflicts that have raised grave concerns about the future of perestroika. Nevertheless, great progress appears to have been made, and the role that scientists

To an ever-increasing degree, explanation in biology is reduced to art expression in the language of DNA sequences. At least, a necessary condition for the interpretation of many problems in evolution, genetics, virology, immunology teratology, or cancer is the elucidation of a message in the well-known ATGC alphabet. Furthermore, the power of biotechnology rests on manufacturing blueprints of the same ilk. To a degree " unprecedented in biological history, we can describe the agenda for much

The history of science is replete with successes achieved through repudiation of the common wisdom. In the following, I offer some unconventional and speculative challenges to how we think about some large problems in contemporary biology. Most are not new thoughts, but to my knowledge they have not been refuted. I know they are mostly wrong; but I am not sure all are. They will surely be addressed, and most solved, during the next century. If I could foretell exactly how, I would be wasting

Job openings in college and university geology departments may increase in the next decade, suggest data from the American Geological Institute. An AGI survey of the ages of geologists shows that schools have few young faculty members but a bulge of older ones moving toward retirement, a good set-up for a hiring boom. In the total population of geologists, about 29% are 34 or under, says Nicholas Claudy from AGI. But inacademia, only 17% are that young. The upper end of the age scale is sk

THE STATUE WITHIN: An Autobiography Francois Jacob; translated by Franklin Philip Basic Books; New York; 326 pages; $22.95 Francois Jacob is the most illustrious of French scientists living today. His autobiography, La Statue Intérieure, has drawn wide attention in France. Now in its lucid English translation, The Statue Within should have an equally broad appeal in the U.S. As a work of literature, it evokes unmistakable overtones of Rousseau, Proust, and Sartre—it is hard to imag

In the interview on the following pages, John Maddox raises an issue in the ethics of science about which we need more open discussion in quest of a better articulated consensus. Exactly what is the obligation of scientists to distribute cell lines, virus strains, DNA clones, and other critical research materials? In the physical sciences, one generally expects to be able to follow a published recipe with available materials and achieve the results claimed. In biology, however, it often happe

Editor’s note: October 4 marks the 30th anniversary of the launching of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union. In this issue of THE SCIENTIST we look back to the beginning of the space age with a reminiscence by Joshua Lederberg. Other prominent scientists and public figures recalled the ascent of Sputnik and reflected on present-day Soviet- U.S. competition in space during interviews with freelance writer Neil McA leer. Excerpts from seven interviews appear on p. 12. When Sputnik was launched

Ian Stewart, in the June 29, 1987 issue, advocated "Selling Mathematics to the Media" (p. 18). His enthusiasm led him to remark that "many mathematicians act as if putting an error into print is the End of the World. . . one need not. . . be too fearful of the odd blunder in print. The readers don't treat all this stuff as gospel, chaps." I commend his zeal, but protest such a cavalier attitude about the principle of veracity in publication. Occasional error is unavoidable, but should be experie