Baruch in Abortion Brody, and "Enacting ~eli~iou~~eliefs
in a Pluralistic Society" Frederick S. Jaffe, in The Hustings Center Report (Aug. 1978), 360 Broadway, Hastings-on- Hudson, N.Y. 10706.
Is abortion a religious issue? No, says Brody, a philosopher at Rice University. Opposition to abortion need not be, and frequently is not, based upon any religious beliefs-any more than opposition to torture in Brazil becomes a religious position just because that opposition is led by Catholic...
religious lead- ers, and taught religious institutions.
In the current debate over the federal funding of abortions, says Brody, the issue of separation of church and state is being raised by pro-abortion groups as an excuse to disregard the legitimate rights of believers. Jaffe disagrees. Laws embodying religious beliefs (e.g., restrictions on federal funding of abortions) should be enacted only when the beliefs are very broadly shared, he says. When there are ir- reconcilable differences on issues...
IODICALS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
These signposts are human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-protein
molecules that float in the cell membrane and trigger a rejection re-
sponse to foreign substances, such as organ transplant~. The antigens
also signal the presence of genes that make a person susceptible to
certain diseases. Scientists have found eight kinds of antigens that are
associated-singly or in combination-with more than 40 afflictions
ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to juvenile diabetes.
The H...
Sherwood L. Washburn, in Scientific American (Sept. 1978), 415 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.
The study of human evolution has undergone radical change in the last 30 years, thanks to new fossil finds, improved understanding of radio- active isotope dating, and revelations in plate tectonics (e.g., that the great land masses of Africa and South America were once quite close). And the application of new specialties, such as molecular anthropology and field observation of primate behavior, offer...
IODICALS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
more closely related to the African apes than to other primates, says
Washburn, professor of physical anthropology at Berkeley. On the basis
of comparisons between their protein chains, some scientists estimate
that man and the chimpanzee share more than 99 percent of their genetic
material.
Meanwhile, new field studies of chimpanzees and their use of sticks
and other simple tools indicate that Peking Man, the first true man
(Homo erectus), who appeared a...
Louis G. Nickell, in Chemical and Engineering News (Oct. 9, 1978), 1155 16th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.
The use of herbicides to increase crop yields controlling weed growth has had a major impact on modern agriculture. Now, another family of agrochemicals-the so-called plant growth regulators- promises even more startling results.
Plant growth regulators, writes Nickell, vice president of research and development for Velsicol Chemical Co., are organic compounds (either natural or synthetic)...
IODICALS
RESOURCES & ENVIRON
"Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy Crisis" bv Albert A. Bartlett. in American Jour~zulof Physics (Sept. 1978), 335 East 45th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.
When the consumption of a resource, such as oil or coal, is growing at a fixed rate per year, the growth is said to be exponential and consumption doubles at predictable intervals. We are ignoring the arithmetic of expo- nential growth at our peril, says Bartlett, physicist at the University of Colorado, B...
IODICALS
RESOURCES & ENVIRON
"Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy Crisis" bv Albert A. Bartlett. in American Jour~zulof Physics (Sept. 1978), 335 East 45th St., New York, N.Y. 10017.
When the consumption of a resource, such as oil or coal, is growing at a fixed rate per year, the growth is said to be exponential and consumption doubles at predictable intervals. We are ignoring the arithmetic of expo- nential growth at our peril, says Bartlett, physicist at the University of Colorado, B...
winderosionin the 1950s*hartduring thef930s.
"'l'he Mew Soviet Environmental Pro-gram: Da dieSoviets Really Mean Bud-ness?"by^UDe,QmofeU,towArf-icy CSuirnpW-PRQ,Joanab Dcpt., John Wifey &Sora,,W.,605 ThirdAve-, New YflA N.K. -6;
hi 1973, the Soviet ~nion~aulicheditsfiÃ?Ë?itbq@@ inthe-Moacow
program,&me^ environmental
especially at irnpttwil^-w,quaBty
area and the tttraiae, where 80 perm&(rf^fiet industrial and ag-ridtaral production is concentrated and where d...
declining catches of freshwater fish and outbreaks of cholera in southern river basins, Kremlin leaders added an environ- mental division to the State Planning Committee, consolidated en- forcement powers in the Ministry of Reclamation and Water Manage- ment (Minvodkhoz), and boosted funding (the equivalent of $1 l billion for 1976-80).
Deterioration of the Volga River has been halted and Moscow's water quality slightly improved, writes Gustafson, a Harvard government professor, but the clean water...