The Thalidomide Syndrome
A mild and supposedly safe sedative taken by pregnant women has deformed the limbs and other organs of several thousand infants in West Germany, England, Canada and other countries
Features
The Spark Chamber
It is a new device to make visible the tracks of subatomic particles. Basically it consists of a series of charged plates. When a particle passes through the plates, its path is traced by sparks between them
The Sea's Deep Scattering Layers
The sound pulses of devices used to measure the depth of the ocean are often scattered by several "phantom bottoms" that rise by night and sink by day. The animals that make up these layers are now being identified
Schizophrenia
This grave mental illness now hospitalizes at least 250,000 Americans. Its investigators have sought to explain it on either a physiological or a psychological basis. The latter explanation is currently favored
Dialects in the Language of the Bees
The dances that a honeybee does to direct its fellows to a source of nectar vary from one kind of bee to another. These variations clarify the evolution of this remarkable system of communication
Neutrino Astronomy
A flood of the penetrating particles called neutrinos pours down on the earth from the sun and stars. If they could be detected, they would constitute a rich source of astrophysical information
Pumps in the Living Cell
One of the main activities of most animal cells and many animal tissues is the excretion of sodium. How is this "active transport" accomplished? Here the answer is sought in the kidney of the amphibian Necturus
Kinins
They are a class of local hormones, produced in blood or tissues where and when needed. They dilate the blood vessels and move smooth muscles. They also give wasp venom much of its sharp sting
Departments
50 and 100 Years Ago: August 1962
Science and the Citizen: August 1962
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, August 1962
- Recommended
Books
- Mathematical Recreation
Mathematical Games
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Scientist
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The Authors
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