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Physics World Digest: November 1999 Edition

November 02, 1999

Ethics enters the 21st century

With the debates on genetically-modified food, human cloning and DNA tests hitting the headlines around the world, it might seem that biologists are the only scientists facing ethical problems. But there are still ethical dilemmas for physicists. Last month, for example, 32 Nobel prize-winning physicists spoke out in support of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty on nuclear weapons, even though it was ultimately rejected by the US senate (p.5 &10). And in an opinion piece in this month's Physics World, Gérard Toulouse, research director at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, argues that scientists can no longer ignore ethics or sweep it under the carpet. He believes that it is the responsibility of both individual scientists and scientific societies to maintain ethical standards in science, and to protect those who speak out against scientific malpractice and misconduct. (p.13)

AEA finds winning formula

Controversy gripped the world of motor racing last month when the winner of the Malaysian grand prix, Eddie Irvine, was disqualified after it was discovered that a side panel on his car was a few millimetres too narrow. Although Irvine was later reinstated, the incident showed how the tiniest engineering detail can make the difference between winning and losing in Formula One. Now the construction team Benetton has got together with scientists and engineers from the nuclear industry to try to improve the performance of their cars. The company has signed a two-year deal with AEA Technology to apply their knowledge of materials and processes to the demands of the race circuit. (p.8)

Dyslexic children receive a boost from physics

Albert Einstein was not only a highly talented physicist - he was also dyslexic. Indeed, dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting between 5 and 15% of children. Now scientists in the US have used a physics-based technique to gain new insights into the condition. Using a modified version of magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI), researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle have found that there are chemical differences in the brain function of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children. As Physics World finds out, the research could lead to a better understanding of the brain mechanisms involved. (p.9)

Rocket science gives students a lift

When the US space agency NASA managed to lose the $125m Mars Climate Orbiter because of a mix-up between metric and Imperial units last month, the episode highlighted the challenges and difficulties of rocket science. UK physics students recently got their first taste of the subject at the annual National Rocket Championship. Three groups of students launched home-made rockets, with the winning rocket disappearing 6000 feet into the skies -- before making a textbook landing in a nearby field, as Physics World reports. (p.11)

Frederick Guthrie: man of action

One hundred and twenty five years ago this year, the physicist Frederick Guthrie founded the Physical Society -- the forerunner of the modern Institute of Physics. An intensely practical man, he wanted the society to be different from the Royal Society by placing an emphasis on demonstration, rather than discussion, confirming his belief that science had to be experimentally based. In an era when teaching was dominated by the arts, Guthrie was also passionate about science education -- reserving particular scorn for the state of science teaching at Oxford and Cambridge, as Dianne Stilwell explains. (p.33)
Contact: Dianne Stilwell, Institute of Physics, London (tel. +44 (0)171 470 4800; fax +44 (0)171 470 4848; e-mail dianne.stilwell@iop.org)



Also in this issue:
More on the 1999 Nobel prize (p.7 & 47)
Superconductor stripes move on (p.19)
Air-filled fibres could speed up the Web (p.20)
Decay anomaly points to neutrino relics (p.21)
Capacitance sets a new standard (p.22)
From supernovae to black holes (p.23)
Tiny forces create shock waves (p.24)
Books special (p.33)



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