Quantum information
There is more to information than a string of ones and zeroes - the ability of "quantum bits" to be in two states at the same time could revolutionize information technology
Climate change: the challenges
On 10 December 1997, after a session lasting two days and nights virtually without a break, politicians at the climate summit in Kyoto, Japan, agreed a protocol limiting the emissions of greenhouse ga...
Consultancy as a career
Reviewed by Allan Newton This is an interesting book that analyses the career options of scientists who become consultants, whether in a self-employed capacity or in a large consultancy firm. It is a ...
Einstein’s papers
This volume, sixth in an ongoing series of works by Princeton University Press, contains some of Albert Einstein’s more important papers on quantum theory and general relativity. Early versions ...
How to deal with mistakes
Luckily the literature is not like a barrel of apples and one bad paper will not ruin all of the others. There are also different types of mistakes with different consequences. Deliberate mistakes are...
A lucid account of the universe
A more detailed review by Bernard Pagel of the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA) appears in the January 1998 issue of Physics World Some 30 years ago, the hot big-bang paradigm was dr...
Superficial images
Reviewed by Matin Durrani Felice Frankel, the renowned landscape photographer, was hosing her driveway one Sunday afternoon when she decided to search for one of the more interesting puddles. After dr...
Weighty history misses mark
Reviewed by John Maddox If war is too important to be left to the generals, then surely the research community should be on its guard against leaving the history of discovery to the historians of scie...
Priorities are a priority
Ideally you would consult a list of priorities and decide accordingly, taking into account national strengths, weaknesses and needs. But the chances of finding such a list of priorities are slim. Most...
Ultraviolet catastrophe?
Synchrotron radiation is now used routinely in many areas of science. Many research groups, especially in physics, chemistry and biology, base large parts of their research programmes on the use of th...
