In 1962, Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring , a pioneering exposure of the hazards of the pesticide DDT, became one of the most influential books in the history of science and helped set the stage for the environmental movement. But the book had modest sales. In 1980, Carl Sagan's book Cosmos , an overview of how science and civilization grew up together, based on his television series of the same name, sold 900,000 copies in its 50 weeks on the Publishers Weekly best-seller list, phenomenal for a science book in its time. Up to now, most biologists have studied the molecules of life in test tubes, watching how large numbers of them behave. Cornell University and Harvard Medical School are collaborating to decipher the structures of proteins associated with human cancers.
Listeria is everywhere.
And because it can be found in so many places, it provides the ideal model for studying the evolution and ecology of bacterial pathogens. The thousands of volunteer bird-watchers expected to participate this year are advised by the event's organizers, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, to be especially alert for several species that are showing population declines. The technique might have other uses in illuminating nerve cell reactions in such diseases as epilepsy and Parkinsonism.