"Scientific men and women . . . are still regularly wheeled out to address complex technical matters of all kinds, but frequently, they find themselves pitted against one another, or against nonscientific challengers." John Durant, professor of public understanding of science, Imperial College, London page 28

NEWS OF THE WEEK

DOW BUYS CARBIDE: 4
It took less than a month to seal $11.6 billion deal creating world's third largest chemical company.

O₂-PRODUCING BACTERIA: 5
Biomarkers indicate cyanobacteria have been around for at least 2.5 billion years.

LIMITING PESTICIDES: 5
Citing risks to children, EPA places restrictions on use of methyl parathion, azinphos-methyl.

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS: 6
NRC panel affirms adverse effects but says more research is needed to determine their extent, seriousness.

NEW JOURNAL'S LAUNCH: 6
Sweden's Ann-Christine Albertsson is named editor of ACS journalBiomacromolecules.

POLYMERIC ANTIBIOTIC: 7
Polymerized form of a vancomycin proves effective against resistant bacteria.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS CONCENTRATES: 8

FOCUS ON VISION 2020: 10
Department of Energy and industry work together to develop technology with commercial potential.

CHEMICALS IN CHINA: 13
Industry restructuring may make firms more attractive to foreign investment.

GOVERNMENT

GOVERNMENT CONCENTRATES: 14

ENVIRONMENT

COVER STORY

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: 16
New data heighten concern that human-induced global warming has already arrived.

CHEMICAL HINDSIGHTS

BIOTERRORISM: 26
Policymakers are struggling over how to allocate resources to combat the threat of bioterrorism.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

WORLD SCIENCE MEETING: 28
Delegates in Budapest tackle wide-ranging issues and propose a framework for 21st-century science.

GIANT VESICLES: 39
Fluorescence probe shows ordered and fluid phases coexisting on the surface of unilamellar vesicles.

BOOKS

"MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES": 40
Evolutionary biology, like other fields of science, both stands apart from and reflects cultural values.

THE DEPARTMENTS

2 LETTERS

3 EDITOR'S PAGE

42 ACS NEWS

48 AWARDS

50 MEETINGS

64 NEWSCRIPTS