| Author |
Story Title |
Issue Date |
Type |
Comments |
| Asimov, Isaac |
Science: Unlikely Twins, The |
1972 OCT |
sces |
elements; carbon, Part 1 of 2; two of its kinds, graphite & diamonds; Part 2 in 1972 NOV(#3270) |
| |
Science: One and Only, The |
1972 NOV |
sces |
elements; carbon, Part 2 of 2; carbon-based organic compounds, could some other element be versatile enough to help form life?; Part 1 in 1972 OCT(#3260) |
| |
Science: Clock in the Sky, The |
1972 DEC |
sces |
speed of light, how was it determined in the first place?; Jupiter's satellites; see sequel of sorts, to science essay "The Figure of the Fastest" in 1973 NOV(#3433) |
| |
Science: Ancient and the Ultimate, The |
1973 JAN |
sces |
books, and their future; what can replace the printed word?; has 10th coll. of science essays The Tragedy of the Moon(1973) |
| |
Science: Through the Micro-Glass |
1973 FEB |
sces |
microbiology, the history of, Part 1 of 3; from Anton van Leeuwenhoek(1675) thru Pasteur to William Joseph Elford(1931); Part 2 in 1973 MAR(#3324), Part 3 in 1973 APR(#3336); see sequel on bacteria in essay "The True Rulers" in 1989 SEP(#6048) |
| |
Science: Down From the Amoeba |
1973 MAR |
sces |
microbiology, the history of, Part 2 of 3; sizes of microorganisms, bacteria & viruses; Part 1 in 1973 FEB(#3311), Part 3 in 1973 APR(#3336) |
| |
Science: Cinderella Compound, The |
1973 APR |
sces |
microbiology, the history of, Part 3 of 3; the Cinderella compound is DNA, the history of its discovery & the importance of the work Oswald Theodore Avery was to the direction research moved in; Part 1 in 1973 FEB(#3311), Part 2 in 1973 MAR(#3324) |
| |
Science: By the Numbers |
1973 MAY |
sces |
computers; Do we lose our individuality in a computerized society? Do we become numbers instead of people? |
| |
Science: Triumph of the Moon |
1973 JUN |
sces |
Moon; sequel to science essay "The Tragedy of the Moon" in 1972 JUL(#3220); "at 3 crises in the development of Man it was the Moon that was, in one way or another, the motive force" |
| |
Science: Cruise and I, The |
1973 JUL |
sces |
personal reminiscences, of his cruise to Florida to see the last Apollo flight, #17, to the moon; on cruise with him was Pohl, Heinlein, Sagan, Sturgeon, Bova, & Norman Mailer |
| |
Science: Constant As the North Star |
1973 AUG |
sces |
equinoxes, Part 1 of 2; the stars Polaris & Thuban(the North stars); Earth's rotation & shape, and the precession of the equinoxes; Part 2 in 1973 SEP(#3408) |
| |
Science: Signs of the Time |
1973 SEP |
sces |
equinoxes, Part 2 of 2; effects of the precession of the equinoxes; details of the celestial sphere(constellations) around the Earth, & astrology; Part 1 in 1973 AUG(#3391) |
| |
Science: Mispronounced Metal, The |
1973 OCT |
sces |
elements; aluminum; on p.116 is a box stating 1973 will mark the publication of Asimov's 150th book, & lists the 16 books published already, or due to be published, in 1973; this essay is his 180th & marks this column's 15th complete year in F&SF |
| |
Science: Figure of the Fastest, The |
1973 NOV |
sces |
speed of light; determining the speed of light, other details of its speed; a sequel of sorts, to science essay "The Clock in the Sky" in 1972 DEC(#3285) |
| |
Science: Figure of the Farthest, The |
1973 DEC |
sces |
universe; history of the size of man's universe, the receding universe, & the red-shift |
| |
Science: Eclipse and I, The |
1974 JAN |
sces |
eclipses, Part 1 of 2; his viewing of a solar eclipse on June 30, 1973 off the coast of Africa; a discussion on eclipses; Part 2 in 1974 FEB(#3470); has nf colls. of essays Asimov on Astronomy(1974), Asimov on Chemistry(1974) |
| |
Science: Dance of the Luminaries |
1974 FEB |
sces |
eclipses, Part 2 of 2; why there are so few solar eclipses, & how it was that the ancients could predict them; Part 1 in 1974 JAN(#3459) |
| |
Science: Uneternal Atoms, The |
1974 MAR |
sces |
radioactivity, Part 1 of 3; radioactive elements & radioactive decay; Part 2 in 1974 APR(#3493), Part 3 in 1974 MAY(#3503) |
| |
Science: Particular Matter, A |
1974 APR |
sces |
radioactivity, Part 2 of 3; the two chief methods of radioactive decay - emission of an alpha particle, & the emission of a beta particle; Part 1 in 1974 MAR(#3482), Part 3 in 1974 MAY(#3503) |
| |
— That Thou Art Mindful of Him! |
1974 MAY |
nv |
N-1975 HUG, LOC, novelette; 2nd of 2 stories in F&SF in his Susan Calvin/robot ser., again after her death, her ghost or influence lingers w. the robot company; to be pub. in Ferman & Malzberg(ed): Final Stage(1974), stories of classical sf themes |
| |
Science: At Closest Range |
1974 MAY |
sces |
radioactivity, Part 3 of 3; tissue radioactivity, radioactive nuclides in the human body; Part 1 in 1974 MAR(#3482), Part 2 in 1974 APR(#3493) |
| |
Science: Double-ended Candle, The |
1974 JUN |
sces |
energy crisis of 1973 & American energy policy, Part 1 of 2; the limited energy resource, oil; Part 2 in 1974 JUL(#3530) |
| |
Science: As Easy As Two Plus Three |
1974 JUL |
sces |
energy crisis of 1973 & American energy policy, Part 2 of 2; alternatives to oil includes fusion energy; Part 1 in 1974 JUN(#3516) |
| |
Science: Updating the Asteroids |
1974 AUG |
sces |
asteroids, Earth-grazing or Apollo objects; a sequel to "The Rocks of Damocles" in 1966 MAR(#2324) |
| |
Science: Look Long Upon a Monkey |
1974 SEP |
sces |
evolution & anti-evolutionists; man evolving from the monkeys, & how history has looked upon it |
| |
Nothing Like Murder |
1974 OCT |
ss |
1st story in F&SF in his Black Widowers ser.; "Mr. Tolkien died on Sept. 2, 1973. I decided to memorialize him in the only way I could—which was to write a Black Widowers tale that hinged upon him"; most of 66 stories in ser. been pub. in EQMM 1972-91 |
| |
Science: Oh, Keen-Eyed Peerer Into the Future! |
1974 OCT |
sces |
sf predicting the future; Three Laws of Futurics(with stories as examples): 1. What has happened in the past will happen in the future; 2. Consider the obvious seriously, few do; 3. Consider the consequences; sequel to "Future? Tense!" in 1965 JUN(#2219) |
| |
Science: Skewered! |
1974 NOV |
sces |
numbers; Skewes' number, largest finite number used in a math proof; has story coll. in Dream ser., The Dream, Benjamin's Dream, and Benjamin's Bicentennial Blast(1976), 1st pub. in PST 1974 JAN, APR, JUN/JUL; 4th story "Party by Satellite," PST 1974 MAY |
| |
Science: Star in the East |
1974 DEC |
sces |
Bible's star of Bethlehem, the 9 possibilities for the astronomical basis for the story from the Gospel of St. Matthew; has 11th coll. of F&SF science essays Of Matters Great and Small(1975); nf coll. of essays Science Past, Science Future(1975) |
| |
Science: Thinking About Thinking |
1975 JAN |
sces |
intelligence, what is it & how is it measured; this essay came about because of a trip to London to speak at International Mensa Society, at which he was made a vice-president |
| |
Science: Rocketing Dutchmen, The |
1975 FEB |
sces |
extraterrestrial life, UFOs, flying saucers; questions/answers concerning e-t life & the UFO phenomenon; on p.124, a short list of Asimov's recently pub./forthcoming books, on the 35th anniversary of his 1st pub. story "Marooned Off Vesta," AMZ 1939 MAR |
| |
Science: Bridge of the Gods, The |
1975 MAR |
sces |
electromagnetic radiation - light, the rainbow & the light spectra |
| |
Science: Judo Argument, The |
1975 APR |
sces |
God; "Judo arguments" are what Asimov calls "arguments in favor of the existence of God that are based on scientific findings" |
| |
Science: Planet That Wasn't, The |
1975 MAY |
sces |
planets, the speculation & belief that there was another planet inside Mercury's orbit, named Vulcan |
| |
Science: Olympian Snows, The |
1975 JUN |
sces |
planet Mars, as seen thru history's telescopes to the Mariner probes; in intro to essay, says "Sometimes when I think of a very good title, I deliberately invent an essay to fit around it"; this his 200th science essay for F&SF is such an example |
| |
Science: Titanic Surprise |
1975 JUL |
sces |
solar system, size comparison of the bodies in the solar system; summary of his classification of astronomical bodies |
| |
Earthset and Evening Star |
1975 AUG |
ss |
2nd story in F&SF in his Black Widower series, this mystery one with an sf angle; has anth. 100 Great S. F. Short Short Stories(1978, w. Olander & Greenberg), & The 13 Crimes of S. F.(1979, w. Waugh & Greenberg; N-1980 LOC) |
| |
Science: Wicked Witch Is Dead, The |
1975 AUG |
sces |
witches, sorceresses, women & aging; Biblical mentions of witchcraft, in the Middle Ages, & the persecution of witches & witchcraft |
| |
Science: Wrong Turning, The |
1975 SEP |
sces |
planets' & satellites' orbits & orbital eccentricities |
| |
Science: Third Liquid, The |
1975 OCT |
sces |
elements, the alkali metals: lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, & francium; the last one is unstable, but it would be the 3rd liquid metal, along with mercury & bromine |
| |
Science: Best Foot Backward |
1975 NOV |
sces |
technology; the advance of technology, Asimov defends science "against the onslaught of the new barbarians," giving examples followed by arguments; has nf books, Asimov on Science Fiction(1981) |
| |
Science: Smell of Electricity, The |
1975 DEC |
sces |
ozone & oxygen in our atmosphere, Part 1 of 3; smells, rates of diffusion, chemical properties of ozone compared w. the oxygen molecule; Part 2 & 3 in 1976 JAN, FEB; has nf book How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort(1987, w. wife Janet) |
| |
Friday the Thirteenth |
1976 JAN |
ss |
3rd & last story in F&SF in his Black Widower ser.; the first story ever in ser. was "The Acquisitive Chuckle" in EQMM 1972 JAN; see ar by Dorman T. Schindler, "Mind Over Matter: The Mystery Fiction of Isaac Asimov" in The Armchair Detective, 1997 SPR |
| |
Science: Silent Victory |
1976 JAN |
sces |
ozone & oxygen in our atmosphere, Part 2 of 3; what do you suppose created the ordinary oxygen?; Part 1 in 1975 DEC(#3748), Part 3 in 1976 FEB(#3773); has 12th coll. of F&SF science essays The Planet That Wasn't(1976) |
| |
Science: Change of Air |
1976 FEB |
sces |
ozone & oxygen in our atmosphere, Part 3 of 3; what endangers the ozone layer, fluorocarbons & aerosols & the ozonosphere; Part 1 in 1975 DEC(#3748), Part 2 in 1976 JAN(#3760); has nf book, Asimov's Galaxy: Reflections on Science Fiction(1989) |
| |
Science: Nightfall Effect, The |
1976 MAR |
sces |
space colonization, man reaching for the stars; as in his story "Nightfall," some people are crazily against it; has nf coll. of essays Asimov on Physics(1976) |
| |
Science: All Gall |
1976 APR |
sces |
cholesterol; medical theories, & the story of cholesterol; gallstones; factors & how to cut down your cholesterol levels |
| |
Science: It's a Wonderful Town! |
1976 MAY |
sces |
American cities; the information that can be culled from the 1976 World Almanac, such as the populations of American cities in 1776 & 1976 |
| |
Science: Surprise! Surprise! |
1976 JUN |
sces |
elements, the periodic table; properties that can be deduced from the periodic table on possible future additional elements |
| |
Science: Making It! |
1976 JUL |
sces |
America's technological growth historically, Part 1 of 3; "analyzing American history in terms of technological advances"; this part with an emphasis on colonial times; Part 2 in 1976 AUG(#3847), Part 3 in 1976 SEP(# 3859) |
