Like the ancient Pythagoreans, astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) found numbers fascinating. Imbued with the same conviction of a natural order that drove Pythagoras (c. 580–500 B.C.) and his followers to search for an underlying numerical harmony, Kepler maintained that the physical universe was laid out according to a mathematical design that was simple and accessible to human intelligence.The motions of the planets appeared discordant, Kepler argued, because no one had yet learned to hear their songs. The natural philosopher's task was to identify the prime cause from which all else log...

Like the ancient Pythagoreans, astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) found numbers fascinating. Imbued with the same conviction of a natural order that drove Pythagoras (c. 580–500 B.C.) and his followers to search for an underlying numerical harmony, Kepler maintained that the physical universe was laid out according to a mathematical design that was simple and accessible to human intelligence.The motions of the planets appeared discordant, Kepler argued, because no one had yet learned to hear their songs. The natural philosopher's task was to identify the prime cause from which all else log...

FOUR-MILE-PER-MINUTE WIND POSSIBLE IN NEW TUNNELAn artificial windstorm blowing 240 miles per hour has been found possible in the remarkable wind tunnel recently constructed at Pasadena for the California Institute of Technology. The outfit is a feature of the new Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory. This velocity exceeds the original hopes of the designers.A wind tunnel enables airplane investigators to reverse the conditions of normal flying with obvious experimental convenience. One simply runs the air past a stationary plane instead of running the plane through stationary air.The Pasadena t...

An extensive collection of photographs from around the world demonstrate the full weirdness of parasitic plants. For sheer size, try the Rafflesia, with buds the size of footballs and individual flowers that outsprawl a straw hat. For sci-fi charm, visit the fleshy Hydnora blooms reaching out of the dirt or the crusty lumps of Prosopanche fruit. The tropical mistletoes show up as some of the most beautiful, with flashy red, yellow, and orange conflagrations of blooms. The Web site, created by botanist Dan Nickrent of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, also includes references and supp...

Catch glimpses of people, activities, and projects at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held May 5-11 in San Jose, Calif. A team of students from Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, Calif., created this site as events unfolded at the science fair, from project setup to presentation of the grand awards.Go to: http://science.santacruz.k12.ca.us/isef/isef.ucsc.edu/index.html

PYTHON LIKES NEW HOME: LAYS CLUTCH OF EGGSOne of the big pythons in the U.S. Zoological Park recently celebrated her transfer to the more comfortable and homelike quarters of the new reptile house there by laying a clutch of 20 eggs.The picture on the cover of this issue of the SCIENCE NEWS LETTER shows her exercising the serpentine version of maternal care: most of the time, as a matter of fact, the eggs are kept quite invisible beneath her coils. The eggs, like many reptile eggs, have tough, parchment-like shells rather than the hard limy coverings characteristic of bird eggs.PARENTHOOD SEEM...

Sealed within a transparent, tapered, liquid-filled cylinder, illuminated colored globs slowly rise and fall. Meandering and deforming, their shapes and paths change unpredictably. Invented in 1963, a decorative fixture in many homes during the 1970s, and still in production, Lava Lite lamps are now the object of renewed curiosity.Indeed, researchers have come up with a novel application of the mesmerizing movements of the lamp’s globules. They use them as the starting point for generating a sequence of random numbers. Called lavarand, the random-number generator is the tongue-in-cheek work of...

Sealed within a transparent, tapered, liquid-filled cylinder, illuminated colored globs slowly rise and fall. Meandering and deforming, their shapes and paths change unpredictably. Invented in 1963, a decorative fixture in many homes during the 1970s, and still in production, Lava Lite lamps are now the object of renewed curiosity.Indeed, researchers have come up with a novel application of the mesmerizing movements of the lamp’s globules. They use them as the starting point for generating a sequence of random numbers. Called lavarand, the random-number generator is the tongue-in-cheek work of...

Anthrax has evolved from a disease that farmers sometimes caught from livestock to a potent biological weapon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta offers a highly accessible Web site that answers basic questions about transmission, treatment, and prevention of anthrax. The site also provides links to Web pages that explain the biology behind the disease and discuss the controversial anthrax vaccine used by the U.S. military.Go to: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/anthrax_g.htm#currissue/

HOLDER OF PRIESTLY OFFICE CARVED ABOUT 2400 B.C.Good sculptors, those Sumarians who lived in the land around about Ur of the Chaldees 4,000 years ago!This week’s cover picture shows the upper portion of a broken life-sized statue found at the city of Lagash, north of Ur. The features, finely cut, portray a man of dignity and reserve. The proportions of the body are skillfully handled. The arm muscles almost ripple beneath the stone, and the drapery over the left arm is softly folded.The statue, which is now being exhibited in London by Sydney Burney, is pronounced to date from the time of Gude...

Biodegradable plastic that releases germ killers provides an example of what's known as active packaging, and scientists report progress toward taking this concept to market.Paul Dawson and his colleagues at Clemson (S.C.) University are fashioning plastics from proteins found in corn, soy, and wheat. While these biodegradable polymers are being heated or compressed to make a thin film, the food scientists add a sprinkling of a natural antimicrobial agent—usually nisin. This is a bacteriocin, an antibioticlike substance secreted by bacteria such as those harnessed to make yogurt and cheese. Ni...

Created at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, this Web site features middle-school classroom activities with an atmospheric cycles theme. Topics include climate, greenhouse effect, global climate change, and ozone.Go to: http://www.ucar.edu/learn/