AT ISSUE: Promega Corp.'s sale of Taq polymerase for PCR has riled Hoffmann-La Roche. It's David vs. Goliath in a battle of biblical proportions over the patents for a crucial enzyme in molecular biology. The Goliath in this case is the century-old health-care giant Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. The Basel, Switzerland-based company employs 50,500 people and had 1995 sales of 14.7 billion Swiss francs ($11.8 billion). David is the Promega Corp. of Madison, Wis., a biological reagent company with 420

SIDEBAR: Opportunities for Biographers Scientific biographies have the potential not only to engender interest in an individual's life and work, but also to spark re-examinations of an entire discipline. Biographers, historians, and scientists, however, have differing views on just what a scientific biography should entail. Should it center on the scientist's life or research? How far should the biographer go to avoid hagiography, a devotional and uncritical work? On the other hand, how can th

Biographies are popular, and publishers are continually looking for authors willing to write about important scientists. Cambridge University Press, for example, has published seven books in its Cambridge Scientific Biographies series, and series editor David M. Knight of the University of Durham says that there are a half-dozen others in various stages of preparation. In addition, says Knight, "We're looking to commission fresh titles." He invites interested authors to contact him to explore

SIDEBAR : Sources For Help In Contacting Congress TIMES CHANGE: Robert Park says scientists can no longer afford to rest on their laurels. With continuing calls for massive cuts in federal R&D spending, scientists are finding it ever more important to lobby Congress for continued funding. Those who have taken the plunge report that lobbying Congress is easier, more productive, and less aversive than it may appear. "For years we felt that what we do is so important that anyone but a fool

Researchers Wait For Federal Guidelines Two reports, one from each side of the Atlantic Ocean, conclude that research on xenotransplantation-the transfer of organs, tissues, or cells from animals to humans-should be pursued because the potential benefits of the practice outweigh its possible risks. But scientists in the United States are frustrated by the Public Health Service's slow pace in issuing federal guidelines for the research. CAUTIOUS STEPS: Xenotransplantation pioneer Suzanne Ilst

Developments in the electronic publishing of scientific material are proceeding apace, with publishers rushing to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the new media. Some publishers of journals and reference works that once were printed only on paper are hurrying to establish CD-ROM editions. Others are bypassing this step and heading straight to the World Wide Web (R. Finn, The Scientist, Oct. 16, 1995, page 16; F. Hoke, The Scientist, Sept. 19, 1994, page 17). However, no one in the

Sidebars How to Get the Guide Committee to Revise the ILAR Guide REVISIONIST: Retired teacher Jo Ann Steggerda's presence on the panel was criticized. Most laboratory scientists, and even some animal-welfare advocates, are applauding the newly published seventh edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The new edition, the first update since 1985, was published by the National Research Council's Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR). It places far greater rel

Web Savvy Hard times for science are turning out to be good times for publishers of personal bibliographic software. As scientists feel increasing pressure to apply for grants from several agencies and submit articles to multiple journals, the value of bibliographic software rises. These programs, which store detailed reference information and export them in a wide variety of formats, are ubiquitous in scientific offices and laboratories (F. Hoke, The Scientist, Jan. 11, 1993, page 18; June 27,

Consulting For Industry As the life sciences march out of the ivory tower and into the halls of commerce, an increasing number of academic biologists are finding financial, intellectual, and personal rewards as consultants. However, consulting for industry has drawbacks. In addition to the need to comply with university rules regarding outside employment, consultants from academia are faced with a host of ethical dilemmas. Some, such as potential conflicts of interest, are so serious that criti

Battles between unions of graduate students and university administrators are heating up at institutions around the United States. This academic year is seeing an upwelling of union activity and an increasingly polarized debate between union activists and university administrators. Most notable among these was a highly visible protest by teaching assistants at Yale University, who refused to turn in students' fall-semester grades. ACTIVIST: U. Michigan union president Scott Dexter is a stude

Let this be a warning to bosses and pompous big shots in labs around the United States: It's that time of year again when your students and your colleagues are busy devising devilish ways to prick your balloon. What's that? This article reached you too late? April Fool! FISHING FOR LAUGHS: Jeffrey Maynes, "troublemaker-in-chief" as a postdoc at U. Alabama, turned a colleague's lab into an undersea scene. The American Heritage Dictionary defines "practical joke" as "a mischievous trick playe

Speak Out In Public Author: Robert Finn (The Scientist, Vol:10, #6, p. 15, March 18, 1996) In today's increasingly litigious society, anyone can become the target of a lawsuit. A potential libel action, for example, should not only be the concern of publishers and journalists. The threat of a libel suit is now a reality for anyone, including scientists who choose to speak out publicly-or even write letters to the editor-on controversial issues. A libel suit can come without warning when an ord