Steps toward Disarmament
A British physicist and World War II military operations analyst discusses the problems that underlie the present disarmament negotiations
Volume 206, Issue 4
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Features
Exploding Stars
They are of three main types: dwarf novae, novae and supernovae. Recent studies indicate that the typical nova or dwarf nova is the volatile member of an unusual and closely coupled star pair
The Membrane of the Living Cell
The electron microscope reveals the structure of this gossamer layer, which not only constitutes the exterior of the cell but also folds inward to make up much of its internal architecture
Paradox
Some self-contradictory statements are amusing; others are profoundly puzzling. A few paradoxes have called for major reconstructions of the foundations of logic and mathematics
Fractionating the Fruit Fly
A simple technique reveals that genes controlling eye color in flies also control the production of a whole family of unusual substances. The study has importance for understanding hereditary disorders
The Action of Adhesives
Fundamentally they work by being liquid and bringing molecules close together. In the newer adhesives this state of affairs is maintained by minimizing stresses within the adhesive itself
The Soaring Flight of Birds
The effortless circling flight of vultures and similar birds depends on their aerodynamic efficiency and a meteorological phenomenon: air currents in thermal cells powered by the sun
Attention and the Perception of Speech
If an individual listens to two voice messages at one time, he usually understands only one. This indicates that the brain has an "attention mechanism" for selecting the desired information