Issue 1740 | Magazine cover date: 27 October 1990

This week's magazine

27 October 1990

Issue 1740

On the cover

Features

The politics of climate, a long haul ahead: Next week, the world will attempt to lay down the ground rules for a climate treaty. This will be one more step on the tortuous path to international agreement. Effective action to halt global warming seems jus

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Patents: Saved by the belt

Opinion

Talking Point: Let's not forget the plutonium threat

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New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

The politics of climate, a long haul ahead: Next week, the world will attempt to lay down the ground rules for a climate treaty. This will be one more step on the tortuous path to international agreement. Effective action to halt global warming seems jus

Features

The mathematics of symmetry

Features

Ozone, the burden of proof: Action to protect the ozone layer began long before scientists knew that there had been any damage. What proof do we need to write international treaties protecting the environment?

Features

Fungal warfare in the medicine chest

Features

Signs of change: A century of attempts to teach deaf children to speak has forced a living language underground. Now it is making a comeback

Features

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Patents: Saved by the belt

The Sony Walkman personal stereo is 10 years old. Sony never filed patents on the machine, believing it to be an innovation but not an invention. But since then several inventors hav claimed royalties both from Sony and other Japanese manufacturers. Italian inventor Andreas Pavel has for many years been telling the press that Sony's …

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Technology

Technology: Battle looms for multimedia standards

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Technology

Technology: Trial makes light of cable network

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Technology

Technology: Single eye brings three dimensions to TV screens

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Technology

Technology: Gene machine could speed up human genome project

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Technology

Technology: Britain airs techniques for problem waste

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Technology

Technology: Giant bin liner for Scottish waste

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Patents: Stereo antinoise

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Patents: Of Harvard mice and morals

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Patents: Bombs away

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Patents: Snowball meltdown

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Science: Greenhouse effect drives geysers on Triton

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Science: Helium unlocks the secret lurking in Africa's deadly lake

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Technology

Technology: Antarctic icebreaker buys time for research

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Science: Second binary pulsar will put Einstein to the test

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Science: Microbial brew may yield clues to vitamin deficiency

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Science: Cannibal snails are more likely to reach maturity

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Science: Is winter the saddest time of the year?

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Will substitute horn save rhinos' skins?

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Nuclear compensation

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Genome a la carte

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Nuclear warning

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Telescope steals the limelight

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Guilty medic

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System shutdown

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Tax-free frontier

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Degree of change

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Naval architects wrangle over cracked carriers

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Science survives the congressional carving knife

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AIDS in Africa: Zaire's doctors take the initiative on AIDS

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HIV 'encourages' malaria and TB

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A new chimp virus?

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Drift-net ban snagged by Britain

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Nobel trophy for the hunters of the quark

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The backward steps that led to chemistry laurels

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Celltech breaks links with ailing research scheme

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Animal researchers face fresh attack

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Japan in two minds over greenhouse cuts

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Carbon cuts cost 'little or nothing'

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Patents: Down the tube

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Opinion

Talking Point: Let's not forget the plutonium threat

Nobody takes plutonium seriously any more. We all know the litany: 'The most toxic substance on Earth .. a lump the size of an orange can wipe out a city ..' and so on. But today, it has become the stuff of hackneyed thrillers. 'Plutonium? I saw the movie. I liked the car chase and …

Opinion

Comment: Taking climate seriously

Opinion

Features

The politics of climate, a long haul ahead: Next week, the world will attempt to lay down the ground rules for a climate treaty. This will be one more step on the tortuous path to international agreement. Effective action to halt global warming seems jus

On Monday 29 October, Geneva will become the focus of international efforts to come to terms with climate change. For 10 days, scientists, civil servants and – during the final 48 hours – politicians attending the second World Climate Conference, will consider what to do about global warming. They should be working towards some sort …

Features

The mathematics of symmetry

Features

Ozone, the burden of proof: Action to protect the ozone layer began long before scientists knew that there had been any damage. What proof do we need to write international treaties protecting the environment?

Features

Fungal warfare in the medicine chest

Features

Signs of change: A century of attempts to teach deaf children to speak has forced a living language underground. Now it is making a comeback

Features

Forum: Stop telling us to stop it - Some firm advice for the medical profession

Many years ago, when I was a lad, a Punch cartoon pictured a young housewife, clearly under pressure in her kitchen, addressing a small daughter and saying, 'Go and see what Johnny's doing and tell him to stop it.' I suspect that the lady was a doctor taking time off from her career to start …

Forum

Forum: A red light against AIDS - Self-help among African prostitutes

Forum

Thistle Diary: Comment from Westminster - Schools for scientists?

Forum

Forum: Where were all the women? - American medical science has rediscovered half the human race

Forum

Forum: The land of the sticking clock - Why Japan has no time for summer time

Forum

Forum: A frond farewell to bracken - The spin-offs of a hard graft

Forum

Review: Dinosaurs for trainspotters

Books & Arts

Review: Sperry sets his sites on the brain

Books & Arts

Review: Stars like grains of sand

Books & Arts

Review: Pictures of hope and despair

Books & Arts

Review: Towards a science of information

Books & Arts

Review: The Scorpion, a tale of a model sting

Books & Arts

Regulars

Feedback

Students, rejoice: you are now richer. It must be true, because that's what higher education minister Alan Howarth has said. A press release from the Department of Education and Science headed 'Loans mean more money for students - Alan Howarth' contains the following flawless argument: 'By spreading the cost of student support more evenly and …

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This week's magazine

27 October 1990

On the cover

The politics of climate, a long haul ahead: Next week, the world will attempt to lay down the ground rules for a climate treaty. This will be one more step on the tortuous path to international agreement. Effective action to halt global warming seems jus

The mathematics of symmetry

Ozone, the burden of proof: Action to protect the ozone layer began long before scientists knew that there had been any damage. What proof do we need to write international treaties protecting the environment?

Fungal warfare in the medicine chest

Signs of change: A century of attempts to teach deaf children to speak has forced a living language underground. Now it is making a comeback

Table of contents

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Patents: Saved by the belt

Technology

Technology: Battle looms for multimedia standards

Technology

Technology: Trial makes light of cable network

Technology

Technology: Single eye brings three dimensions to TV screens

Technology

Technology: Gene machine could speed up human genome project

Technology

Technology: Britain airs techniques for problem waste

Technology

Technology: Giant bin liner for Scottish waste

Patents: Stereo antinoise

Patents: Of Harvard mice and morals

Patents: Bombs away

Patents: Snowball meltdown

Science: Greenhouse effect drives geysers on Triton

Science: Helium unlocks the secret lurking in Africa's deadly lake

Technology

Technology: Antarctic icebreaker buys time for research

Science: Second binary pulsar will put Einstein to the test

Science: Microbial brew may yield clues to vitamin deficiency

Science: Cannibal snails are more likely to reach maturity

Science: Is winter the saddest time of the year?

Will substitute horn save rhinos' skins?

Nuclear compensation

Genome a la carte

Nuclear warning

Telescope steals the limelight

Guilty medic

System shutdown

Tax-free frontier

Degree of change

Naval architects wrangle over cracked carriers

Science survives the congressional carving knife

AIDS in Africa: Zaire's doctors take the initiative on AIDS

HIV 'encourages' malaria and TB

A new chimp virus?

Drift-net ban snagged by Britain

Nobel trophy for the hunters of the quark

The backward steps that led to chemistry laurels

Celltech breaks links with ailing research scheme

Animal researchers face fresh attack

Japan in two minds over greenhouse cuts

Carbon cuts cost 'little or nothing'

Patents: Down the tube

Opinion

Talking Point: Let's not forget the plutonium threat

Comment: Taking climate seriously

Features

The politics of climate, a long haul ahead: Next week, the world will attempt to lay down the ground rules for a climate treaty. This will be one more step on the tortuous path to international agreement. Effective action to halt global warming seems jus

The mathematics of symmetry

Ozone, the burden of proof: Action to protect the ozone layer began long before scientists knew that there had been any damage. What proof do we need to write international treaties protecting the environment?

Fungal warfare in the medicine chest

Signs of change: A century of attempts to teach deaf children to speak has forced a living language underground. Now it is making a comeback

More

Forum: Stop telling us to stop it - Some firm advice for the medical profession

Forum: A red light against AIDS - Self-help among African prostitutes

Thistle Diary: Comment from Westminster - Schools for scientists?

Forum: Where were all the women? - American medical science has rediscovered half the human race

Forum: The land of the sticking clock - Why Japan has no time for summer time

Forum: A frond farewell to bracken - The spin-offs of a hard graft

Review: Dinosaurs for trainspotters

Review: Sperry sets his sites on the brain

Review: Stars like grains of sand

Review: Pictures of hope and despair

Review: Towards a science of information

Review: The Scorpion, a tale of a model sting

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