Friday, 31 Dec 1993 Washington, DC
1. WOULD YOU BE SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT THE LHC COST HAS ESCALATED?
The goals of high-energy physics in the U.S. have not changed in
spite of a congressional decision to terminate the SSC. Near the
top of the list is exploration of electroweak symmetry breaking
at energies and luminosities that are not now available anywhere
in the world. That also happens to be a goal of European
high-energy physicists; last week, plans for the Large Hadron Collider
were presented to CERN's governing council by Carlo Rubbia, the
outgoing director-general of CERN, and Llewellyn Smith, who is
taking over. The $1.7B price tag may seem modest by comparison
with the SSC, but it's 20% higher than earlier estimates. Does
this begin to sound familiar? The increase worried delegates
from the 19 member countries, and Smith was told to see if there
are any non-member countries--like maybe the U.S. or Japan--that
could help with the cost in exchange for significant involvement.
That would make it a genuinely international project. The price
would presumably be about $300M, which is only 3% as much as the
SSC was expected to cost. Many of those in Congress who voted
against the SSC would welcome an opportunity to prove they aren't
anti-science, but it's too late to get it in the FY 1995 budget.
2. "SMART WATER" FLUNKS IF IT'S EXPOSED TO 50 Hz MAGNETIC FIELDS!
The world was literally amazed in 1988 when Jacques Benveniste
reported in Nature that an antibody solution continued to evoke
biological response--even after it was so diluted that no
antibody molecules remained. The water, Benveniste explained, somehow
remembered! Now J.C. Foreman et al. report in Nature (9 Dec 93)
that they have precisely repeated the experiments, and "no aspect
of the data is consistent" with Benveniste's results. Why was
Foreman's water dumber than Benveniste's? Maybe it was the power
lines. In the fall issue of Frontier Perspectives, published by
the Center for Frontier Science at Temple University, Benveniste
reported the astonishing observation that the water's memory is
totally erased by exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields. Exposure to
scotch and water has been found to produce a similar effect.
3. APS/AIP 1994-95 CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS
must be complete by 15 Jan 94. Fellows serve for one year on the
staff of a member of Congress, or on a Congressional Committee,
contributing their perspective as scientists to issues of public
policy. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
and have a PhD in physics or a closely related field. For more
information write to opa@aps.org or phone (301) 209-3094.
4. IS "WHAT'S NEW" BEING DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR E-MAIL BOX?
If it isn't but you wish it were, or it is but you wish it
weren't, you can now add or delete yourself from the WHAT'S NEW
mailing list. Just write to listserv@aps.org and ask for "help"
in the body of your message (actually, listserv doesn't care what
else you say). Listserv will write you back with instructions.
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