Engineering and Science, Volume 58:1, Fall 1994

Table of Contents

Playing with Science
by Tom Stoppard
With illustrations from some of his work, a noted playwright talks about science and art—how and where they converge and diverge, mostly the former. In the process of tracing these affinities, he touches on language, aesthetics, creativity, and reality.

Whatever Happened to Cold Fusion?
by David L. Goodstein
As everyone knows, the "discovery" of this cheap energy source was discredited shortly after it was announced. But even though cold fusion seems to be impossible, some people keep on trying. Do they merit a hearing from the scientific community?

Sing a Song of Benzene, A Pocket Full of π
by Douglas L. Smith
Benzene-containing amino acids, long slighted as molecular filler, appear to play a key role in communications between nerve cells. Benzene rings line the pocket of a receptor molecule, where their π-electrons may help recognize the messenger molecule.

Departments

SURFboard: A CAPsule of Chemistry

Random Walk