NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Headline news, science views II / edited by David Jarmul; National Academy of Sciences . . . [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-309-04834-6
1. Science news—United States. 2. Science—Social aspects— United States. 3. Technology —Social aspects—United States. 4. Health—United States. 5. Medical policy—United States. I. Jarmul, David. II. National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) III. Title: Headline news, science views 2.
Q225.H45 1993
303.48'3—dc20 93-16471
CIP
Copyright 1993 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
B-099
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
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Science and Pseudo-Science |
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Confronting Creeping Complexity |
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The Reality Beyond Science |
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Columbus Day and the Frontier of Exploration |
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Children and Calculators |
One Year Down, Nine to Go |
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Minority Students and Mathematics |
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A Failing Grade for School Tests |
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Getting Scientists Involved in Science Education |
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Barbie, Math and Science |
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The Contrast Between Computers and Classrooms |
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Fooling Ourselves About Improving Ourselves |
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The Overselling of the University |
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The Threat of Climate Change |
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Designing a Cure for Greenhouse Warming |
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Aquatic Ecosystems on the Critical List |
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Science and the National Parks |
Assessing the Threat of Toxic Waste Sites |
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Protecting Our Nervous Systems from Toxic Chemicals |
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Indoor Radon: Hype Versus Help |
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Deciding Who Gets Western Water |
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A Health Agenda for Children |
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Childhood Vaccines: The Parent's Responsibility |
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The Neglected Mental Health Problems of Adolescents |
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People's Health, Public Health |
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The States and Health Care Innovation |
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Our Disabled View of Disability |
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The Deadly Threat of Emerging Infections |
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Taking Women's Health Problems Seriously |
Pregnant Women, Newborns and AIDS |
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Weight Control: What Really Works |
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Serving Up Nutrition Instead of Guilt |
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The Foods in Our Future |
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Improving the Safety of Seafood |
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Fighting Trim, Fighting Smart |
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Getting Serious About Computer Security |
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Preventing Oil Spills Here at Home |
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Looking Beyond Potholes |
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Getting Smart About 'Intelligent' Vehicles and Highways |
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A High-Tech Cure for Traffic Jams? |
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Crossing the Bridge to More Beautiful Journeys |
Launching Into a New Era in Space |
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Mobilizing for a U.S. Technology Strategy |
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The Globalization of Technology |
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How to Keep Factory Jobs from Moving Overseas |
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Designing for Prosperity |
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Short-Term Thinking in a Long-Term World |
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A New Partnership in American Science and Technology |
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Work and Family |
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Beyond the Brazil Summit: Conserving Biodiversity |
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Faltering Science in the Rain Forest |
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The Perilous State of Science in the Former Soviet Union |
Guatemala: Attacks on Scientists and Research |
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The Next Refugee Crisis and the U.S. Response |
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The Science of Middle East Peace |
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The Unwelcome Return of Malaria |
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Creating a Better Atmosphere After the Earth Summit |
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Ravages of Nature, Disasters of Mankind |
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Individuality and the Brain |
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Mapping the Human Brain |
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Gene Therapy: No Longer Just a Concept |
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Driving to a Safer Future |
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New Priorities in the Heavens |
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Reaching for the Answers in the Stars |
Abolishing Long-Range Nuclear Missiles |
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Angling for a New Food Source |
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Scientific Openness vs. Litigation Secrecy |
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DNA Typing and the Courts |
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The Legal Barrier to Life-Saving Drugs |
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Science, Medicine and Animals |
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Preventing Fraud in Science |
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Some of the Toughest Jobs in the World |
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The Dilemma Behind the Dinosaur Exhibits |
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Too Noisy to Hear the Universe |
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The Blocked Road to Tomorrow's Cures |
All of the articles and author affiliations in this book appear as originally published. |
Editor's Note
The Information Revolution. The AIDS epidemic. Space travel. In countless ways, changes involving science and technology are reshaping our lives. Computers are transforming our economy. New technology brings us everything from Scud missiles to MTV videos. Medical breakthroughs help us live longer even as global warming and atmospheric ozone depletion threaten our future.
It is nearly impossible to read through a newspaper without finding several stories involving science, technology and health care. But for many Americans, especially those without a technical background, these topics often are confusing, even intimidating. People read conflicting claims about an issue and wonder where the truth lies. They sense their lives being changed by everyone from the farmer in the Amazon to the computer hacker next door. But real understanding remains elusive, hidden in a shroud of jargon and details.
This book will help everyone — expert and non-expert alike — to make sense of some of today's most important issues involving science, technology and health care. The authors include dozens of the world's most prominent experts, writing in a readable and engaging journalistic style. The articles are similar in format to those in the first edition of Headline News, Science Views, published in 1991.
As with the first volume, the articles in this edition ap-
peared originally on the editorial and opinion pages of daily newspapers. They were distributed by the National Academy Op-Ed Service. Begun in 1983 under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, the Service provides more than 300 newspapers with timely articles by scientific and technical experts. The papers receive the weekly articles free with exclusive rights within their cities. Among those that have published stories from the service are The Atlanta Constitution, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Detroit News, The Houston Chronicle, The Miami Herald, Newsday, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The San Francisco Chronicle and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The wonderful cartoons and drawings in this volume were used by editors at subscribing newspapers. The artists and editors granted us permission to reprint the illustrations here.
The Op-Ed Service would not exist without the continued support and encouragement of the newspaper editors who have helped us bring these complex scientific and technical issues into the arena of public debate. We also are indebted to hundreds of study committee members, staff officers and others within the Academy who have shared their expertise and offered advice on story ideas. The entire staff of the Academy news office supports the Service in many ways. In particular, Stephen Push, director of the office, and Patricia Worns, the copy editor, played an invaluable role in producing the articles presented here.
Our greatest thanks is reserved for the authors, who took time out from busy schedules to prepare these articles without pay and under tight deadlines. Making the transition from scientific text to newspaper prose was not always easy, but it was made much smoother by authors whose prominence was matched by their patience, eloquence and genuine desire to reach out beyond the scientific community to the American public.
David Jarmul