Gene-splicing debate heats up in Germany

Public controversy over genetic engineering research has prompted the West German government to propose that new safety guidelines in this area should be legally binding on industry, rather than remain voluntary as are the current regulations. Political reaction against biotechnology has been led by the Social Democrats and by the Greens, West Germany's environmental party, which has made opposition to all industrial uses of genetic engineering official party policy. While dismissing total rejection of genetic technologies as an emotional overreaction, researchers have begun to tell the public about their work and to organize meetings among themselves to discuss the issues. The increasing interest in control of genetic engineering has been attributed to memories of the eugenic experiments of the Nazis, debate over the growing links between industry and universities, and environmental concern over the release of genetically altered organisms.     

Specific heats of lunar surface materials from 90 to 350 degrees Kelvin

The specific heats of lunar samples 10057 and 10084 returned by the Apollo 11 mission have been measured between 90 and 350 degrees Kelvin by use of an adiabatic calorimeter. The samples are representative of type A vesicular basalt-like rocks and of finely divided lunar soil. The specific heat of these materials changes smoothly from about 0.06 calorie per gram per degree at 90 degrees Kelvin to about 0.2 calorie per gram per degree at 350 degrees Kelvin. The thermal parameter gamma=(kpC-(1/2) for the lunar surface will accordingly vary by a factor of about 2 between lunar noon and midnight.