The backbone of the United States' scientific enterprise - investigator-initiated research -- is being twisted by political forces that support high-profile but sometimes scientifically unjustifiable programs. To overcome those forces, say the nation's top researchers and science policymakers, scientists must put aside their interdisciplinary rivalries and work together to secure more support as well as more money for individual research initiatives. "The most important priority is for us to c

The scientists talked about their concerns, goals, and priorities for the coming year, among other topics. In a nutshell, all are worried about funding shortfalls. They also say 1991 will bring the U.S. face-to-face with critical choices about science education and the country's overall research efforts. As the federal government pumps millions of research dollars into a handful of megaprograms, hundreds of smaller, more important research initiatives are falling by the wayside, they say. Shou

For journalists who are convinced that scientists are by nature tight-lipped, humorless, and obscurely esoteric, the prospect of interviewing an eminent molecular biologist or condensed-matter physicist is about as appealing as a trip to the orthodontist. On the other hand, deadline-driven reporters and editors aren't exactly appreciated in the science community for their patience in hearing out all of the crucial details about a researcher's experiments. Sometimes, it seems to scientists that

Sidebar: Just Printing Results Doesn't Validate Them Sidebar: Discouraging Hypotheses Slows Progress What is a scientific fact? How are such facts established? Who are the judges, the referees, the peers who do the reviewing? Can scientific publishers be trusted to disseminate articles containing nothing but verified facts? And is it good for science that journals take pride in publishing nothing but facts? In one of the following essays, Washington University physicist Michael Friedlander u

In the physical sciences, there seems to be little if any disagreement over what constitutes big science. Few physicists, for example, would disagree that the Superconducting Supercollider and the space station Freedom are both big science projects--that is, they both involve many scientists clustered at a single facility as opposed to individual researchers or small groups working independently in labs around the country. In the life sciences, however, consensus on this issue is rare. Biomedi

Materials scientist Mike Viola used to spend countless hours thumbing through volumes of The Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. As manager of product technology for Hyperion Catalysis International Inc., a startup chemical company in Lexington, Mass., Viola is responsible for keeping current with technical developments in Hyperion's line of business, commercializing graphitic microfi-bers such as those used in batteries and adhesive plastics. So each week, when a

The Frye test, named after a defendant in a 1923 murder case, is the oldest and most popular test used to determine when scientific evidence can be used in court. Using the test, courts admit scientific evidence based on a novel scientific technique only when the technique has gained general acceptance in the relevant scientific field. For example, testimony based on a certain scientific principle is not admissible simply because one expert vouches for the principle. It is not even enough that

Why is innumeracy so widespread even among otherwise educated people? The reasons, to be a little simplistic, are poor education, psychological blocks, and romantic misconceptions about the nature of mathematics. My own case was the exception that proves the rule. The earliest memory I have of wanting to be a mathematician was at age 10, when I calculated that a certain relief pitcher for the then Milwaukee Braves had an earned run average (ERA) of 135. (For baseball fans: He allowed five runs

"It seemed that whenever four or more scientists got together, the most frequent topic of conversation--aside from tenure-- was what great things were being done in research with the help of computers. What we wanted to do was provide some kind of overview on how scientists in a variety of disciplines were using computer technology." That's how anthropologist and National Academy of Sciences staffer John Clement explains the genesis of Information Technology and the Conduct of Research: The U

As recently as 10 years ago, few people had even heard the term "animal rights." Today, animal rights are the subject of lawsuits, and some animal rights activists are claiming responsibility for planting bombs and setting fire to scientific laboratories. In the first of the two essays that follow, Christine Jackson of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a Washington-based group at the forefront of the animal rights movement, explains the philosophy behind her organization.

Back in the mid-1970s, it was infrequent that a book about science captured the collective imagination of a general readership, much less earned a slot on the best-seller list. There were plenty of textbooks around, some histories of science written primarily for an academic audience, and even an occasional scientific blockbuster like James Watson's The Double Helix (New York: Atheneum, 1968). But for the most part, there just weren't that many books aimed at lay readers, who, by reading about

Back in the mid-1970s, it was infrequent that a book about science captured the collective imagination of a general readership, much less earned a slot on the best-seller list. There were plenty of textbooks around, some histories of science written primarily for an academic audience, and even an occasional scientific blockbuster like James Watson's The Double Helix (New York: Atheneum, 1968). But for the most part, there just weren't that many books aimed at lay readers, who, by reading about