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Wonderfest Dialogue Guides help you to explore the particular Wonderfest subjects in further detail. Each Dialogue Guide gives you a brief introduction to the subject of a Wonderfest topic and refers you to a number of publications and web links for your further study and enjoyment. For Teachers: Every Wonderfest dialogue has the potential to excite and enlighten students as they pursue their usual curricular studies. The list below shows which Wonderfest dialogue titles pertain to which broad fields of study. By clicking on a dialogue title, you will be taken to a "Wonderfest Dialogue Guide" (henceforth referred to as a "Guide") that helps students and instructors put that particular dialogue to use in the classroom. Ideally, instructors would use the resources in a Guide to prepare their students for in-person attendance at the corresponding Wonderfest dialogue. And, following that personal Wonderfest experience, teachers and students would use the Guide to explore Wonderfest subjects still further. Wonderfest 2002 Topics
Wonderfest 2000 Topics:
ARE THERE NATURAL LIMITS TO THE POWER OF COMPUTERS? “If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee. That will do them in.” Intel co-founder Gordon Moore observed in 1965 that transistor (i.e. electronic switch) density on computer chips was doubling every 18 months. The implication was -- and is -- that computer power in general grows accordingly. Sure enough, this statement of "Moore's law" still holds today. Yet in December 2001, the Semiconductor Industry Association predicted that by 2005, chipmakers may confront barriers to further progress. About two dozen problems have no known solutions according to Robert Doering, a senior fellow in silicon technology development at Texas Instruments. Most obvious is the graininess of matter at the atomic level. Switches cannot keep getting smaller: they can't be smaller than the atoms that make them. But can we make switches from *subatomic* components? Or can we make switches operate at progressively faster rates so that further miniaturization is not the issue. Perhaps "parallel processing" is the key (despite the sentiment of the quotation that introduces this Guide). Perhaps so-called "quantum computers" can extend Moore's law in as yet unforeseen ways. Or perhaps breakthroughs in software (artificial intelligence?) will supplant Moore's law for hardware altogether. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: The Future of CPUs <http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_essex012802.asp> - This online edition of MIT's Technology Review for January 2002 offers an authoritative lead article on the near-future of computer power. Links at the site lead to articles on biological and quantum computing, as well. Centre For Quantum Computation <http://www.qubit.org/> - This Oxford University website provides access to numerous papers, from easy to cutting-edge, and is one of the earliest sites devoted to quantum computing. John McCarthy's hope page <http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/> - Wonderfest speaker John McCarthy is considered the father of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. He also invented the computer language LISP. On his personal home page, you will find an amazing wealth of information and links on artificial intelligence and all conceivably related topics.
CAN CONSERVATION BE PROFITABLE? Few environmentalists have reason to doubt Professor Bartlett's assertion. However, on the way to the promised land of "zero population growth" (a land we will reach -- or hover around -- one way or another), environmentalists and economists are searching for ways to slow the degradation of the natural environment. Most experts agree that there is a perplexing race between affluence and population. As affluence increases, population growth rates decline. Also, however, as affluence increases, resource use increases. In the short term, at least, the trick is to reduce rates of population growth -- through affluence -- while mitigating the environmental damage of that affluence. Such "tricks" are being developed jointly by environmentalists and economists. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: UN Division for Sustainable Development <http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/> - Packed with information on international sustainability, including reports on the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. Affords access to a web ring on sustainable development. The National Center for Environmental Economics <http://yosemite.epa.gov/ee/epa/eed.nsf/pages/homepage?Opendocument> - This website of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides extensive lists of publications, events, opportunities, and weblinks that take an economic approach to environmental issues. PERC - The Center for Free Market Environmentalism <http://www.perc.org/> - PERC claims to be the nation's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems.
DO WE UNDERSTAND HOW HUMAN INTELLIGENCE EVOLVED? “For reasons, and through mechanisms, that we really don't understand, something truly unprecedented happened.” - Ian Tattersall & Jeffrey Schwartz Some 50,000 years ago our ancestors started to become fully human. In what ecologist Jared Diamond has called the "Great Leap Forward," early humans went from making crude stone tools and producing virtually no art to developing complex new technologies and rich, expressive artwork -- all in the span of about 10,000 years. Human populations grew rapidly, dispersed widely throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, and displaced at least two competing hominid species (H. erectus and H. neanderthalensis). What caused this Great Leap? Did the "hardware" of human brains change, or did innovations in the "software" of human culture make the difference? And, in either case, how did *these* changes come about? RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program <http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/> - The early human phylogenetic tree at <http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/a_tree.html> is a graphical highlight of this extensive, authoritative site. The Institute of Human Origins <http://www.asu.edu/clas/iho/> - This Arizona State multidisciplinary research organization is dedicated to the recovery and analysis of the fossil evidence for human evolution. The National Center for Science Education <http://www.natcenscied.org/> - This non-profit organization defends the teaching of evolution. While not particularly focused on hominid evolution, this site offers great assistance to individuals -- especially teachers -- having philosophical or bureaucratic troubles with the concept of evolution through natural selection.
“Moving in space, the atoms originally were individual units, but inevitably they began to collide with each other, and in cases where their shapes were such as to permit them to interlock, they began to form clusters. Water, air, fire, and earth, these are simply different clusters of the changeless atoms.” - Democritus (439 BC) Since the time of Empedocles and Democritus, people have speculated about the fundamental constituents of matter. Today, physicists continue this quest "downward," seeking smaller and smaller levels of structure. Superstring theory represents the physicists' current best effort at an ultimate description of the material world. Today's chemists, on the other hand, extend the exploration of matter "upward" by investigating the surprising ways in which atoms behave in combination. These studies encompass Bose-Einstein condensates, nanomachines, and the huge field of biotechnology. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Particle Adventure <http://ParticleAdventure.org/> - Here's an excellent place to start the exploration of particle physics, in general. This is the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's extensive online adventure in particle physics (available in English, Spanish, Polish, & Slovenian!). At the Frontiers of Physics and Chemistry <http://www.psc.edu/science/physchem.html> - Offers a rich collection of physics and chemistry simulations by a group called "Projects in Scientific Computing." Included are subtopics in materials science, quantum chemistry, turbulent flow, and atomic physics. The not quite "Official String Theory Website" <http://superstringtheory.com/> - This is a charming, comprehensive, and compelling site lovingly built by a Ph.D. physicist who is also the wife of a string theorist. Features include: string theory timeline, biographies, discussion forum, astrophysical connections, a great list of links, and discussions of the crucial issue of experimental verification.
DO MEN AND WOMEN THINK DIFFERENTLY? “The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots”. Despite the omnipresence of personal anecdotes, careful research on the cognitive differences between the sexes has been hard won. We know that the differences are there, but the trick is to separate the built-in differences from the culturally imposed differences. This is the "nature vs. nurture" question that curses, enlivens, and challenges most branches of psychology. The ultimate answer to the title question of this Wonderfest dialogue may have political implications regarding "gender equity." Certainly the details of that answer will influence important educational policies. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Biological Constraints on Parity Between the Sexes <http://www.sfu.ca/~dkimura/articles/constraints.htm> - This is an authoritative and readable 1-page article by Doreen Kimura, a foremost expert in "gender and cognition" research. Kimura is Visiting Professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Social Psychology Network <http://www.socialpsychology.org/> - Maintained by Scott Plous of Wesleyan University, this site claims to offer the largest social psychology database on the Internet, including more than 5,000 links related to psychology. Gender Differences in Cognition: Myths & Facts <http://www.megafoundation.org/Ubiquity/sprubiq01/Gender.htm> - An accessible, 1-page summary by Gina Lynne LoSasso, Ph.D., of her take on gender differences in cognition.
WHERE DID THE UNIVERSE COME FROM? “I'm astounded by people who want to know the Universe. It's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown. - Woody Allen Cosmologists generally avoid questions about what preceded the Big Bang. Either they say that time truly began with the Big Bang (i.e., absolutely nothing preceded the universe's creation), or, more often, they say that a scientific silence is mandated by the impossibility of observations from that pre-primordial time. A few cosmologists, however, disagree. Some members of that vocal minority offer persuasive arguments in lieu of observations. They speak of many many other universes that must exist if we are to understand why *this* universe possesses physical laws that allow interesting things to happen (e.g. the origin of life, the formation of stars, and even the existence of any stable matter at all!). Others members of the minority assert that observations may soon be made that can support or deny the existence of these multiple universes. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Ask an M.I.T. Cosmologist <http://arcturus.mit.edu/ask/index.html> - Built by M.I.T. Physics Professor Edmund Bertschinger, this site directly addresses basic -- but certainly still challenging -- questions in cosmology. E.g., What is the shape of the universe? How big is it? Does it have an edge? Modern Cosmology: An Overview <http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/Projects/moderncosmo/Homepage.html> - This Pomona College site offers a thoughtful introduction to key ideas in cosmology. It features articles on the Big Bang, string theory, and the multiverse hypothesis, all written by different, authoritative sources. Before the Big Bang <http://stripe.colorado.edu/~yulsman/Instanton1.html> - Here's a good place to start the exploration of cosmology. The author is Tom Yulsman, science writer and journalism professor at the University of Colorado. This site makes Yulsman's lengthy and approachable1999 Astronomy magazine article on cosmology available to the online world.
Have you ever been on a hayride? Do you remember the intoxicating smell of newcut hay, how it seemed to appeal to something deep inside, to awaken feelings perhaps from an earlier, more earthly existence? Can we hope to understand ourselves without going back to the previous stages of our existence, both human and pre-human? We are not creatures of a moment; we encompass within ourselves eons of experience and discovery. When we touch a table we are perhaps sharing a sensation with sharks who lived millions of years ago, who elaborated what we enjoy as the sense of touch. Understanding the evolutionary roots of our minds is not only enlightening, it adds depth, meaning, and richness to our everyday experiences. Evolutionary Psychology is a vigorous, exciting and controversial new field. The current political applications of evolutionary theory are much disputed, but the pleasure of discovering new dimensions of our human existence is there for everyone to enjoy. Recommending Readings:
"Synapsida: A New Look into the Origin of Mammals," by John C. McLoughlin is a beautifully illustrated children's book which offers the best overview of mammalian evolution I have ever come across. The origin of the imagination, the Pineal gland, the bones of the ear are all fascinating stories which will make a permanent impact on the reader, such is their persuasiveness and richness of insight. One of the best books I have ever read, by far.
Recommended Websites: www.evoyage.com is a labor of love of William A. Spriggs, and contains all sorts of homages to the theory of evolution and its application to ourselves, including poetry and fiction! A site to keep in touch with. www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cap/ is the site of the Center for Evolutionary Psychology, a major academic center for this type of research. It contains many links and issues of the journal, Evolution and Human Behavior. http://evolution.humb.univie.ac.at/ishe.html is the home of the International Society for Humanethology. It contains links to several international sites.
"What has produced the greatest good--or rather what [is] necessary for
Has the human sense of right and wrong--and our capacity for moral behavior--evolved along with our bodies? Charles Darwin thought so. Alfred Russel Wallace, natural selection's co-discoverer, did not. In 1869, when Wallace publically argued that the mind had been freed from natural selection, Darwin responded, "I hope you have not murdered too completely your own and my child." To what extent, if at all, is our moral sense molded by our biology? Here are some resources for further exploration. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
The Ethical Primate : Humans, Freedom and Morality, Mary Midgley, 1994. British philosopher Mary Midgley, retired Professor at the University of Newcastle, argues that the conceptual isolation of mind and body in reductive scientific ideologies causes grave confusion by ignoring the importance of higher human faculties.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Center for Evolutionary Psychology This University of California (Santa Barbara) site is the product of a research group led by a psychologist and an anthropologist. There's a primer on evolutionary psychology, a desription of UCSB research, and a good "suggested reading" list. Human Behavior and Evolution Society HBES is an interdisciplinary, international society of researchers, primarily from the social and biological sciences, who use evolutionary theory to discover human nature - including evolved cognitive, behavioral, emotional and sexual adaptations. Behaviour OnLine An amazingly extensive list of links on evolutionary psychology.
"I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it."
Quantum mechanics (QM) is a topic that high school physics teachers rarely touch. Chemistry teachers brush by the orbitals and the quantum numbers at a superficial level. Reasons for the short shrift given to QM are its counter-intuitive nature (i.e. weirdness), higher-level mathematics, and a lack of real-world examples that make sense to the average 16-yr old. I know that quantum concepts are something that many of us high school physics teachers wave our hands at. We feel relieved knowing that quantum ideas lie in the last few chapters of our high-school physics textbooks -- the ones we never get to. Something that definitely appeals to most teenagers and young adults is futuristic gadgetry. The promise of nanotechnology to create a new generation of minaturized circuits and molecular machines is an irresistable teaching topic. Many students have heard of buckeyballs, and many more, graphite. Building upon that knowledge, teachers can introduce students to the concept of nanotubes as a novel form of carbon, i.e. constructed of "rolled-up" graphite. These long and extremely narrow tubes (only several atoms or molecules in diameter), allow passage down the tube With nanotechnology on the horizon the quantum world is fast becoming the average person's reality. Students will have all the more reason to learn about QM as perhaps even their pocket computers will soon consist of nano-circuitry. Teachers should sieze the opportunity before them to intrigue students with nanotechnology, and to offer them tangible examples of QM at work before their very eyes. Teachers would then have no excuse but to cover those lonely chapters at the end of the physics textbook. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: http://phys.educ.ksu.edu/index.html is Kansas State University's beautiful series of online interactive programs in introductory quantum physics. Mark Sutherland's Quantum Mechanics Applets Jim Tucek's Quantum Mechanics
"I'm astounded by people who want to know the Universe. It's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
In the preface to the first widely-read popular view of string theory, "Hyperspace," Michio Kaku wrote, "If appearance and essence were the same thing, there would be no need for science." And if the universe is truly 11-dimensional, then our ordinary senses must be woefully inadequate for perceiving ultimate reality. But, ironically, it is only through exquisitely thoughtful appraisals of what our senses reveal that scientists have come to realize that those same senses are, in fact, inadequate. One such "exquisitely thoughtful appraisal" goes by the name of string theory. By reconciling general relativity and quantum mechanics, string theory may be modern physics⊃1; best hope for a so-called theory of everything. We have tantalizing hints that string theory can aptly describe the ultimate constituents of the the universe and the deepest laws that govern those constituents. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: http://ParticleAdventure.org/ - Here⊃1;s an excellent place to start the exploration of particle physics, in general. This is the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab⊃1;s extensive online adventure in particle physics (available in English, Spanish, Polish, & Slovenian!). http://superstringtheory.com/ - The charming, comprehensive, and compelling ⊃3;Official String Theory Website⊃2; lovingly built by a Ph.D. physicist who is also the wife of a string theorist. Features include: string theory timeline, biographies, discussion forum, astrophysical connections, a great list of links, and discussions of the crucial issue of experimental verification. http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~jpierre/strings/ - This University of California (Santa Barbara) site features an online superstring tutorial, list of references, glossary, and link list.
"Do not worry too much about your difficulties in mathematics,
We can look at the discovery (or invention, as some would argue) of mathematical theories for their practical applications and their aesthetic qualities. While many fields of advanced mathematics do not apply to the everyday lives of most people, even the non-artist would not dare to ask if all the paintings worth seeing have already been painted. Is the title question of this Wonderfest dialogue asking about the value of mathematical knowledge? Or is it, perhaps, asking about whether mathematics is discovered (as opposed to invented)? Or is it, finally, asking if the history of mathematical endeavor can tell us about our mathematical future? Recommended Books:
Recommended Websites: The Math Form is a one-stop shopping place for math teachers and students alike. This website is *the* Internet site for secondary mathematics. The features include "Ask Dr. Math" and "Problem of the Week." http://www.cs.unb.ca/~alopez-o/math-faq/index.html Frequently Asked Questions in Mathematics is a fun place to get answers to those burning questions like: Is there no Nobel Prize in Mathematics because Nobel's wife left him for a http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk:80/~history/Curves/Curves.html The Famous Curves Index is a fine resource for those interested in curves. One can find history and information on curves from the Ellipse to The Witch of Agnesi.
"Is there anybody out there?" echoes the chorus to a song by Pink Floyd. The question of whether life exists outside of our Blue Planet has been an essential theme of science fiction since the inception of the literary genre. Science fiction often reflects questions not only of philosophy, but of deep concern to humans across societal lines. The desire to know whether we are alone in the universe has become intertwined with the philosophical debate regarding our place in the universe. Are we the center of creation, unique and special in all the Cosmos, or are we a part of a universe potentially teeming with life? One of the first attempts to quantify the possibility that intelligent and communicative life exists elsewhere was made by F. D. Drake in his famous Drake Equation. One of the factors in this equation is the probability that a star will have planets in orbit around it. Until recently, we could only speculate by analogy that, since our Sun has a planetary system, other stars should, as well. But with recent discoveries, we have determined that other stars do have solar systems, and so we are left with less to speculate about in our search for cosmic companions. RELATED BOOKS:
Other Suns. Other Worlds?, Dennis L. Mammana and Donald W. McCarthy, Jr., St. Martin's Press, 1996, ISBN 0-312-14021-5 See reviews for the above books in:
RELATED WEBSITES: http://cannon.sfsu.edu/~gmarcy/planetsearch/links.html SFSU Extrasolar Planet Search Page. Web page for a Project involving Geoff Marcy, one of our guest speakers. Includes links to related sites. http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/encycl.html Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. A watershed of links to the many planet and extraterrestrial life search projects presently underway, as well as news and information. http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/index.html Kepler Mission Home page. This site includes references to articles and books, information on the project, and even a downloadable educational program for the MacIntosh that includes simulated data and analysis.
The evidence is sparse, but it continues to mount, that the origin and evolution of life may be common throughout the cosmos. The biomolecular clues in debris that fall to Earth (including the tantalizing 1996 Martian meteorite) as well as the extreme hardiness and diversity of life on Earth indicate that life may be able to survive and thrive in harsh extraterrestrial environments. But will that life tend to evolve toward anything that we might characterize as "intelligent"? On the one hand, intelligence seems to have clear evolutionary "survival value". On the other hand, the vast majority of lifeforms on Earth are doing just fine without a trace of human-like intelligence. Is intelligence inevitable, or is it a fluke? The scientific jury is still "out" on this provocative question. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: The NASA Astrobiology Institute The Sky and Telescope SETI Page Voyages Through Time
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is one of the grandest human adventures. It began centuries ago with the speculations of a few Rennaissance scholars. It continues today with a dedicated group of radio astronomers and Earth's most sensitive radio telescopes. Here in the Bay Area, two of the most advanced searches are on-going. The SETI Institute in Mountain View runs the formerly NASA-funded Project Phoenix, and UC Berkeley runs the "piggy-back SETI" program called SERENDIP. SETI@home, also based at Berkeley, is the SERENDIP group's effort to spread the joy and the computational labor of their search to individual home computers around the world. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
"Seti Pioneers : Scientists Talk About Their Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence," by David W. Swift, 1990. Sixteen scientists (including Philip Morrison, Carl Sagan, Frank Drake, Freeman Dyson, and Nobel laureate Melvin Calvin) discuss their lives and their views on how to conduct SETI research.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: SETI@home The Planetary Society's SETI page The SETI Institute The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
"I propose to consider the question, 'Can machines think?'" "I feel confident that the machine hasn't proved anything yet."
Turing's perspicacious question, which predates the invention of the transistor by two years, raises a host of others, including "what is thinking", and "how can we recognize it?" To what degree, for instance, does intelligence consist of solving complex problems, or making generalizations and relationships? And what about perception and comprehension? The classic way to gauge the intelligence of a machine is to employ Turing's own test. He stated that a computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.
Promising Websites: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/8751/ http://www.robotwisdom.com/ai/index.html
In "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors," Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan describe an experiment in animal awareness done on macaques (rhesus monkeys). Researchers isolated a macaque in a pen behind a 1-way mirror. This macaque could procure food for itself only by pulling a chain that dangled from the ceiling of the pen. In an adjacent pen, visible (and audible) to the first macaque, was a second macaque that received an electric shock every time the first macaque pulled the chain. In other words, one macaque had to shock another macaque -- seeing and hearing its reaction -- before Dozens of macaques were tested. After obtaining an understanding of the set-up, most macaques endured long periods of time without food rather than shock their fellow monkeys. One went for nearly two weeks, and nearly starved to death rather than pull the chain. Such aversion to inflicting pain on another was especially prevalent among those macaques who had previously been on the other end of the food-for-shock experiment. No human will ever fully understand, as philosopher Thomas Nagel put it, "what it is like to be a bat." (Or a dog, or a macaque.) The best we can do -- at least for now -- is to infer from behavioral and neurobiological studies what goes on in the minds of those creatures with whom we cannot communicate.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:
"Live healthier longer." It sounds like an advertisement for a work-out video. What if such a statement referred to a pill or to a quick and painless therapy? Many scientific labs around the country are working on just such medical innovations. These are procedures that may slow the aging process and dramatically extend the life expectancy for all humans. But first, we need to identify all the factors that cause a cell to age. Only then we can hope to arrest the aging process. How close are we to discovering the underlying mechanism for aging? Does extending the life span of an organism affect growth and development? Is the fountain of youth in our genes? RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
"How and Why We Age," by Leonard Hayflick, Robert N. Butler. Ballantine Books,1996.
"Biology of Aging," by Robert Arking, 1998. This is the second edition of a college textbook that covers all aspects of gerontology.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: The National Institute on Aging (NIA) The principal aging research agency of the United States Government. The NIA promotes healthy aging by conducting and supporting biomedical, social, and behavioral research and public education. The press releases are particularly informative. Wormworld The Kenyon Lab web server at the University of California, San Francisco. Excellent list of publications authored and co-authored by Cynthia Kenyon Science Friday Listen to an amazing discussion titled "The Genetics of Aging: Is gettingold in your genes?" Ruvkun Lab Homepage A technical description of worms and aging (more than you can possiblyimagine).
The advances in medical science over the past 50 years have changed the way we think about health and wellness. When we get sick, we expect something will cure us whether it is an antibiotic, a new drug, a new procedure or perhaps even a transplant of a new organ. But what if some new virus or bacterium that medical science has not seen before infects us. What if it has a high infectious rate and spreads throughout the population faster than a cure can be found? Could humans experience another Black Plague or influenza like the one of 1918? What if it were like HIV, which has been so difficult to control, but spreads faster? Scientists are working on these "what ifs" and studying past epidemics in order to be ready for a new epidemic. Some scientists observe that our misuse of antibiotics has developed drug resistant strains of microbes. Some researchers caution that we must think globally; they believe that Africa's problem with the Ebola virus, for example, is our problem, as well. RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Epidemic: On the trail of a killer : A survey of TB, flu, polio, dengue and hanta, plus information on: how viruses infect, emerging diseases, and the immune system. The American Experience: Influenza 1918: This site gives background information on the PBS program, its transcript, and maps of the spread of the influenza. It also features an interview with Dr. Jeff Taubenberger who discusses the importance of discovering genetic material from the 1918 influenza and how this finding may help in preparing for future outbreaks.
"Blessings light on him who first invented sleep! ... It is the coin
Evidence indicates that sleep is the single most important determinant in predicting longevity. It is more influential than diet, exercise, or heredity. Nevertheless, our modern culture has become a study in sleep deprivation. Artificial lighting wreaks havoc with our biological clocks. We sacrifice sleep to meet the demands of our demanding days. Many doctors regard sleep deprivation as a fact of life, doing little to promote sleep health or awareness. Despite Cervantes assertion, there seems to be no place where we appreciate our stay less than in sleep. The Wonderfest dialogue entitled "Do We Know How to Sleep?" will offer theoretical insights into why we sleep and practical advice about how to sleep well. RECOMMENDED BOOKS: The Promise of Sleep, William C. Dement, 1999. Drawing on his decades of experience on the frontiers of sleep science, Dr. Dement takes readers on a lively tour of the sleeping body and mind. He describes sleep's surprisingly powerful effect on our overall health, and suggests ways for the individual and society to improve sleep.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES: Sleep Home Pages This University of California (Los Angeles) site features an extensive link list to most anything on the Net that concerns the scientific understanding of sleep. Besides links to research facilities, there's a list of sleep-related books and a "sleep syllabus" for those who want to study online. Sleepnet Everything you wanted to know about sleep disorders but were too tired to ask. Features "Open Sleep Forum" and links to over 200 sites. New to the site is Dr. William Dement's Weekly Column. Sleep Research Society promotes understanding of the processes of sleep and its disorders through research, training, and information.
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water..."
We live on a water planet -- indeed life began in the sea. We rely on the oceans to fuel the Earth⊃1;s weather systems and to provide the base of an immense food web that extends far beyond the shores. We also obtain minerals, oil, and a vast array of raw materials from the oceans depths. Yet, since the 1800⊃1;s, human interactions with the ocean have taken their toll. Numerous species and entire complex living ecosystems many millions of years in the making have been decimated or significantly altered. Coral reefs throughout the tropics are in decline, global ocean temperatures continue to slowly yet steadily rise, and most of the commercially valued fish populations are at record lows. As our human population continues to grow, so too does our reliance on the ocean to provide for us. As we enter the 21st century, we are faced with important choices, each of which will have consequences for our planet.
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