Use of insecticides has been questioned due to their harmful effects on edible items. Biological control of insects along with other effective practices for checking spread of parasites on crops are discussed. (PS)

Organized field trips in the tropics proved to be an effective way to gather new information about ferns. The areas of study covered were: systematics and ecology, cytology and gametophyte structure, and morphogenesis and physiology. (PS)

Presents genetical and biochemical data to show that the conclusion presented by Dyer (EJ 036 108) is by no meas settled. Evidence to support the concept: evolution by selectively neutral polymorphisms is inconclusive. (AL)

Describes the organization of university education and scientific research (mainly biological) in China. There appears to be an emphasis on applied research and on the elimination of elitism from scientific, technical and intellectual activity. (AL)

Present knowledge about Mars is compared with past beliefs about the planet. Biological experiments that indicate life may exist on Mars are interpreted. Life patterns or biological features that might be postulated for extraterrestrial life are presented at the molecular, cellular, organism, and ecosystem levels. (DS)

Reviews evidence from molecular genetics and biochemistry, which supports the idea of some evolution, due to chance and selectively neutral mutations, occurring independently of natural selection. (AL)

The author discusses past contributions technology has made to society and ways it will contribute to society's future. Included in these areas are basic biological research, laser technology, information systems, and space technologies. (CT)

Explains Oral Roberts University's undergraduate requirement for research proficiency and how this requirement is fulfilled by biology majors. Topics of the required courses include: introduction to biological research; research techniques; independent research and senior paper; and senior seminar. (DS)

This report details recent advances in fermentation biotechnology as presented by speakers at the 27th International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Congress. Discussion centered around the use of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi as future sources of essential materials as food, fuel, and medicine. (BT)

Provides a look at the methods of paleoanthropology. The shape of a bone, the location of a muscle, or the wear on a tooth can help define environmental context and the course of species evolution. (BB)

Describes the development, implementation, and critique of a strategy to train biology students in writing scientific research papers and writing for a nontechnical audience. Enables students to see the connection between biology and rhetoric and the importance of developing capacities for generating translations and synthesis of their technical…

Highlights the unanswered questions of science. Summarizes current leading research that demonstrates that those questions are inherently limited in scope, and the chain of discovery and human curiosity that drives the quest for knowledge shows not the slightest sign of ending. Argues that we have yet to recognize and ask many of the most profound…

Tested Richard Duschl's triadic model of the growth of scientific knowledge against research practices of 10 accomplished life scientists. Reports that the scientists were willing to change their aims, methods, or theories and were both realists and relativists depending on the scientific discourse about the phenomena in question. Discusses…

Describes current and cutting-edge research on proteins that may spark the interest of biology students. Contains 27 references. (WRM)

The field of synthetic biology (the name is derived from an analogy to synthetic chemistry) has recognized itself as a "field" only since about 2002. Synthetic biology has gotten some high-profile attention recently, but most people are not aware the field even exists. Synthetic biologists apply engineering principles to genomic circuits to…