... calculated all kinds of things with this theory. The first
thing I calculated was the rate of disintegration of the
muon and the neutron. They should be connected to-
gether, if this theory was right, ... is available from the British Library.
would go no further—“30 percent; we cannot say more
than 30 percent”—till they were sure I had the message.
Then they would shut theof ce door. “But let ... going to be all of them, or al-
most all. This is going to be awful!—an old-fashioned epi-
demic like none of us has ever seen!” The better the scien-
tist, the larger the scruple and the more he...
... trigger their adrenaline. So they often
thrive as staff, goaded on by the rest ofthe group (not to
mention the boss). Gregarious types may not need goad-
ing but wilt in a life that leaves them ... and fer-
tilize and weed. There is work to be done. But the work pays
off biggest when the plants are right for the soil and micro-
climate ofthe particular garden.
Is there some subject or writing ... 115; for writing, 26
Science, viewed as a puzzle, 15–16
Science (journal), 68
Science News, 100–103; value of sub-
scribing, 68
Science writers: education of, xii;
temperament of, 5–6 (see also
Temperament;...
... off by 7 percent.”
Then I remember the 9 percent. It was like a prediction
for me: I went home and got this theory that says the neu-
tron decay should be off by 9 percent, and they tell me the
next ... “un-
sure,” even when they are sure (in the ordinary sense), because
their idea of truth is so lofty. Also, they feel responsible not
to scare the public.
I well remember from the early 1980s not ... part, the best scientists agree on the current
best theory, which they recognize because, well, it fits. It an-
swers the most questions with the greatest precision and the
fewest loose ends. There’s...
... again, so the scientist looks at nature and tries to understand it. The curiosity
CHAPTER
History
and Nature
of Science
IN THIS chapter, you will read about what drives science, the nature
of scientific ... Darwin caused a lot of controversy
when he presented his theory of evolution. There is still
some debate on whether evolution theory should be
taught in public schools.
The natureof light was not ... you have found the correct
choice, quickly glance at the other choices to make sure
that no other choice is better or more specific. Also,
check whether one ofthe choices is “All ofthe above.”
You...
... waterproof /
/
wc:tCpru:f
/ (a): waterproof clothes keep you dry because they do not let
rain pass through them: không thm nc
a waterproof jacket: áo ves-tông không thm nc
IN THE KNOW: The ... KNOW: The penguins of Philip Island are very small, as can be seen in the
photograph. They are also a tourist attraction. They walk along the same pathways from the sea to
their nests every ... _________ in the headphones.
4. First, Soriah fed the cat. Then, she called her mother.
Soriah _________ her mother after she _________ the cat.
5. First, Marie did her homework. Then, she...
... education, or interest in it.
Science writers and editors needn’t start off knowing
much science. Some ofthe best of them do, but some of the
best of them don’t. They must, though, be able to ... intelligent
questions, and shake off the high intimidation quotient of a
dense, jargon-laden article in the Proceedings ofthe National Acad-
emy of Sciences. Elise was a member of this breed; she was ... one way or the
other, sitting beside her at her desk, the manuscript on the
sliding desk tray between us, I learned.
I can attest to the wisdom ofthe writerly injunctions
you’ll find in these pages...
... nosy.
A Matter
of Attitude
5
terial as they do with the readers. Indeed, their curiosity and
its fruits are a large part of what the reader senses, of what
lets the reader trust them—a process ... . . See you at the bar?” Ten minutes later,
while the grousers were presumably at the bar, I walked by
the room of exchange copies—and there was John Bethell,
combing through other people’s magazines ... interesting about how the world
works, and then another something, and another, and an-
other. For the rest of your working life, you will get paid to
talk to people and pass along the great stuff...
... of Being that in
turn gives rise to appropriate Doing.
You can spot the best mentors, like the best parents and
the best shrinks, because their former protégés are out there
doing the work. They ... parties,
people often tell me that they have decided they want to be
writers, and they’ll get started as soon as they have more
time, or when they have their study fixed up, or when they
get a new ... professional
network as well, but the network is the least ofthe gift, be-
cause a so-called “network” is really more like a tribe. If you
are the right breed of cat for your mentor’s tribe, the net-
work quickly...
... whole class of story ideas arrives from the other
direction: from outside the world of research, in the form
of a question, observation, or piece of news.To under-
stand the phenomenon then brings ... you get the picture.
Spot what appeals to the visual sense. Today’s technology lets us
look at everything from the eyes of flies to the birth of stars,
from the bottom ofthe ocean to the everyday ... as for the rest of us, ideas spark each other off, showing their
full size only as they connect. Sometimes it’s hard to know
what you think till someone asks the right question or offers
one...
... needs. For example: the
Insured, the Uninsured, the Doctor, the Insurance Company,
the Taxpayer, the Hospital, the Residents and Medical Stu-
dents, the Medical Teachers, the Makers of Medical Parapher-
nalia ... it.
The beauty of case studies is that they carry the reader
along on the wings of story, to which you can append pods
of explanation as needed. At the same time, they anchor is-
sues in the ... is the topic of
this chapter. But first, let me recommend one more attitude:
The science writer and the scientist are allies, sharing a
commitment to science and the public understanding
thereof—upon...
... too. The
researcher will not mind. In fact, the better the scientific
team, the more the leaders seem to want to credit the junior
Research
and the
Interview
53
large, basic chunk of knowledge; the ... your
troubles a kiss and skootch them over. They will wait.
Once in the room, there’s no rush to start. Allow a few
moments for the two of you to get used to being in the
same room, the process that I call ... Why this line of research and not some
other? Why now and not before? Guaranteed, there must have
been other ways to approach the issue, so what was the advan-
tage of this one? The answers are...
... inter-
views, the machine took enough attention that my rapport
with the other person suffered, plus I often lost track of the
content. The problem is that, when I’m typing at the speed
of speech, the ... and you’ll get a lot
by osmosis.
Science, the journal ofthe American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science, is also weekly, and its front section of
science news is without peer. Because ... be some kind of
big curiosity. Either way is fine.You can tell the phrase is a
throwaway because if you remove it from the sentence,
nothing happens. There’s no loss of meaning, only of a
chuckle...
... the close.
“We could do a lot of good for other countries where they
really do need the camels for meat,” Skidmore said.
“Where they really do need them for milk.Where they
desperately need them ... another opener, by Cullen Murphy, from “Lulu, Queen
of the Desert” (The Best American Science and Nature Writing, 2000,
reprinted from the Atlantic Monthly), which relies largely on a
fillip of ... paintbrush.
Yes, but the next morning you do the whole job in three
hours, and there’s no need to razor the windows or scrub
paint off the floor. And it’s the same way with writing.
Think about the readers,...
... magnifi-
cent island.”
Then I considered the essay’s title: The Island at the End
of the Earth.” Hmm. In many seagoing cultures, the islands
at the end ofthe world are where the dead and dying ... albatross ap-
pears out ofthe east, where high dark coasts open on the
ocean horizon and the last sun ray glints on the windy seas
of the Drake Passage.
The group reaches the island. The author tells ... tears.
Below the cliffs are black-rock beaches, and here the white
breasts of king penguins shine against the stones. Nearer,
the sun catches the gold ear patches behind the eye of
swimming members of...