Science at the frontier / by Addison Greenwood ; with Marcia F. Bartusiak, Barbara A. Burke, and Edward Edelson for the National Academy of Sciences.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Annotation At Frontiers of Science symposia, leading young scientists present and discuss their work with their peers in other fields, at a level intelligible across fields (e.g. a molecular biologist makes a presentation understandable to a geologist and vice versa). This book was a collaborative effort on the part of science writer Greenwood and 1990 symposium presenters to share the "frontiers" with a wider audience--scientists in various fields and serious lay readers; future volumes are planned for the 1991 and 1992 symposia. The following topics are addressed in separate chapters: geology, photosynthesis, dynamical systems, astrophysics, gene regulation, magnetic resonance imaging, computation, atmospheric science, neural networks, and physics. Each chapter contains a bibliography and a recommended reading list. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or

Science at the Frontier -- Copyright -- Foreword -- Contents -- 1 Geology -- THE GREAT HEAT ENGINE: MODELING EARTH'S DYNAMICS -- How the Earth Works -- A New Model of the Earth -- How the Model Came to Be -- New Methods and Tools for Working Geologists -- Sharpening the Focus on the Earth's Dynamics -- Hot Spots, French Polynesia, and the Superswell -- Is Volcanism an Essential Part of the Cycle? -- Dynamics in the Core and the Magnetic Field -- Evidence in the Fossil Record -- Geology of the Other Planets -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading

2 Photosynthesis ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS: CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS FOR CONVERTING LIGHT TO ELECTRICITY AND FUELS -- Photosynthesis In Nature -- Photons and the Physics of Light Energy -- Harvesting Photons and Putting Them to Use -- The Reaction Center -- Laboratory Photosynthesis: Important First Steps -- Excited-state Electron Transfer in Synthetic Systems -- Lessons for and from the Construction of Photodiodes -- Photovoltaic Cells -- Construction of Typical Solar Cells -- Use of Liquid Semiconductor Junctions -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading

3 Dynamical Systems WHEN THE SIMPLE IS COMPLEX: NEW MATHEMATICAL APPROACHES TO LEARNING ABOUT THE UNIVERSE -- The Mathematics of Dynamical Systems -- Historical Insights�Implications of Complexity -- Sensitivity to Initial Conditions -- Chaos, Determinism, and Information -- Instabilities and Real-world Systems -- Implications for Biology? -- The Role of Computers and Computer Graphics -- Bibliography -- 4 Astrophysics -- LOOKING FARTHER IN SPACE AND TIME -- Gravity's Shadow: the Hunt for Omega -- The Texture of the Universe

The Big Bang Picture of the UniverseBasic Measurements in Space -- Redshift Provides the Third Dimension -- Quasar Studies Provide a Model -- Dark Matter Seen Through the Lens of Gravity -- Discovering the Blue Curtain -- Gravity's Role as a Lens and a Cosmological Force -- The Formation of Stars -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 5 Gene Regulation -- GENE CONTROL: TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AND MECHANISMS -- How DNA Works -- The Role of DNA -- Noncoding DNA�Subtlety, Punctuation, or Just Plain Junk? -- The Central Dogma of Biology

Transcription FactorsDrawing Lessons from Simpler Organisms -- Exploring the Details of Binding Protein to DNA -- Using the Power of Genetics to Study Transcription -- Activation�Another Role of Transcription Factors -- The Transcription Factor in Development -- Is Cancer Gene-Encoded Growth Gone Awry? -- Life Itself -- Bibliography -- Recommended Reading -- 6 Magnetic Resonance Imaging -- NEW BREAKTHROUGHS IN MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS -- The Physics and Computation Behind MRI -- How MRI Generates Information -- T1 and T2 Relaxation Times as Data

English.

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