The Strategic Nuclear Forces of Britain and France
They could more than quadruple in size by 1995. So far they have been exempt from any arms-limitation treaty, but it may be in the interests of both superpowers to include them in future arms talks
Features
Quasicrystals
These newly discovered materials embody a novel kind of order, in term edia te between crystalline and amorphous. Their structure can be understood through the mathematical theory of tiling
Progress in Laser Fusion
Infrared laser beams, converted to shorter wavelengths by optical crystals, may heat heavy hydrogen to 100 million degrees Celsius. Recent work suggests the technique could lead to useful fusion power
The Origin of Corn
Modern corn, the author argues, had not one ancestor but two: it is derived from a cross between a primitive corn and a perennial form of the wild grass teosinte. Breeding experiments support the theory
The Solar Cycle in Precambrian Time
Periodic signals encoded in layers of Australian rock some 680 million years ago promise to advance the understanding of the sun's cyclical activity and its terrestrial consequences
Thermal Niches of Striped Bass
It appears that the preferred water temperature changes with the age of the fish. Overcrowding in optimal zones may be the reason that certain populations fail to thrive
The Emergence of Maya Civilization
It was once thought to have been sudden. That View has recently been overturned: it was a gradual process. Civilization came into being well before the beginning of the. Classic period in A.D. 300
Departments
Transplantation in the Central Nervous System
50 and 100 Years Ago: August 1986
Computer Recreations, August 1986
Science and the Citizen, August 1986
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, August 1986
- Recommended
Books, August 1986
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Scientist, August 1986
- Departments
The Authors, August 1986
Bibliography, August 1986