Technology Seas the initiative The idea of encouraging the growth of sea life as a way of soaking up carbon dioxide has resurfaced in a patent by Michael Markels of Springfield, Virginia. A ship moves in a spiral pattern over deep water, dispersing fertiliser to create a bloom of phytoplankton. The plankton sink to the bottom of the ocean … News
The dissent of Steele THE recent summary dismissal of molecular biologist Ted Steele by the University of Wollongong raises two important issues. The first is the procedural question of how universities handle dissenting academics. The second is a growing concern about academic standards in the Australian university system. Most of the facts of the case are not in dispute. … Opinion
Many moons THE WORLD beneath your feet is no more than 20 kilometres across, its gravity so weak that you could ride a bicycle up a ramp and into space. But the view of Saturn is breathtaking. It appears over twice as large in the sky as the full Moon does from Earth, and that's not including … Features
Still waters run deep Introduction to Interactive Boundary Layer Theory by Ian Sobey, Oxford University Press, £45, ISBN 0198506759 Turbulent Flows by Stephen Pope, Cambridge University Press, £29.95, ISBN 0521598869 THE actions of fluids intrigue artists, engineers, biologists and physicists alike. Leonardo da Vinci's drawings of turbulent eddies testify as much. Practical topics include trivial events such as a … Books & Arts
Feedback ONE OF the structures shaken by the earthquake that struck Seattle last month was the Microsoft building. An insider tells us that when the tremor started, staff remained largely indifferent not only to the vibrations of the earthquake, but also to the klaxons and flashing lights of the alarm system—until, that is, they received this … Regulars