All of a sudden the long debate is over. Gamma-ray bursters really do live halfway across the cosmos. Now we know that they are, for brief moments, the most luminous objects in the universe. Polar orbiter shows evidence of minicomet bombardment.
Some recent experiments suggest it can.
Most of the organizations that have sprung up to support science in the former Soviet Union focus on applied research. One that funds basic science is the CRDF , but it will have to close shop if its coffers are not replenished soon. Swedish research faces budget cuts. In Sweden, as in many other countries, politicians and scientists are wrestling over proposed cuts in research funding. US policy toward Cuba undermines scientific exchanges.