Civilian Casualties from Counterforce Attacks
New estimates of the number of civilian deaths resulting from nuclear attacks by one superpower on the strategic forces of the other further undermine the rationale for such attacks
Features
Finding the Anti-Oncogene
Inheritance of certain growth-suppressing genes in a mutated form confers susceptibility to cancer. The first such gene to be isolated gives rise to a predisposition to retinoblastoma, an eye tumor...
Detecting Individual Atoms and Molecules with Lasers
Every atom or molecule emits and absorbs light of characteristic wavelengths. By tuning a laser to match specific wavelengths, atoms and molecules can be detected with unprecedented sensitivity...
The Insulin Factory
The pancreatic beta cell is a factory for the production of insulin. New investigative techniques give an unprecedented view of the hormone's manufacture and pathway to the blood
A Close Look at Halley's Comet
The armada of spacecraft that flew by the comet two years ago provided spectacular images and data that continue to yield quantitative information about the nature of the faithful visitor...
The Fossils of Montceau-Les-Mines
Some 300 million years ago central France lay at the Equator. The paleoecology of this bygone world has been reconstructed from a superb fossil cache
Plasma-Sprayed Coatings
The hot, high-speed flame of a plasma gun can melt a powder of almost any ceramic or metal and spray it to form a coating for protection against corrosion, wear or high temperature
The Discovery of the Visual Cortex
Soldiers who suffered head wounds in the Russo-Japanese War were among those who contributed to the identification of the brain's visual center and the first description of its organization...
Departments
50 and 100 Years Ago: September 1988
"Star Wars of the Seas"
Winds of Change
Now you See it ...
The Solar Inconstant
Microwave Mystery
Woody Witnesses
The Hard Shell
Thrilled to the Marrow
Safer Skies?
Phase Transition
Pitching Electrons
Clouded Crystal Ball
All Fall Down
Patent Medicine
Change Artist
Making Manufacturers
Silicon Minstrels
- Letters
Letters to the Editors, September 1988
- Recommended
Books, September 1988
- Amateur Scientist
The Amateur Scientist, September 1988
- Departments
Computer Recreations, September 1988
