| Author |
Story Title |
Issue Date |
Type |
Comments |
| Asimov, Isaac |
Science: Moving Ahead |
1976 AUG |
sces |
America's technological growth historically, Part 2 of 3; transportation & communication in the making of the U.S.A.; Part 1 in 1976 JUL(#3835), Part 3 in 1976 SEP(#3859) |
| |
Science: To the Top |
1976 SEP |
sces |
America's technological growth historically, Part 3 of 3; Thomas Alva Edison, history of electric "lights," and the rise of the U.S. in technolgy; Part 1 in 1976 JUL(#3835), Part 2 in 1976 AUG(#3847) |
| |
Science: Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright! |
1976 OCT |
sces |
stars; mapping the heavens in ancient times, magnitudes, & quasars; also in Foundation series, novels Foundation's Edge(1982; W-1983 HUG, LOC; N-1982 NEB, SFC), Foundation and Earth(1986), Prelude to Foundation(1988), Forward the Foundation(1993) |
| |
Science: Comet That Wasn't, The |
1976 NOV |
sces |
planetary discoveries, Part 1 of 3; Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel & the discovery of the planet Uranus; Part 2 in 1976 DEC(#3896), Part 3 in 1977 JAN(#3909) |
| |
Science: Sea-Green Planet, The |
1976 DEC |
sces |
planetary discoveries, Part 2 of 3; what we have learned about Uranus since its discovery in 1781; Part 1 in 1976 NOV(#3885), Part 3 in 1977 JAN(#3909) |
| |
Science: Discovery by Blink |
1977 JAN |
sces |
planetary discoveries, Part 3 of 3; the discoveries of Neptune & Pluto; Part 1 in 1976 NOV(#3885), Part 2 in 1976 DEC(#3896); has nf books Asimov on Numbers(1977), The Beginning and the End(1977) |
| |
Science: Asimov's Corollary |
1977 FEB |
sces |
popular fallacies, impossibilities; Clarke's Law & Asimov's Corollary - both about scientists saying something is impossible |
| |
Science: Magic Isle, The |
1977 MAR |
sces |
atomic nucleus structure; the "magic number" or "shell model" of the nucleus that won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics for Maria Goeppert-Mayer & Hans Daniel Jensen |
| |
Science: Dark Companion, The |
1977 APR |
sces |
stars; white dwarfs, pulsars, neutron stars & black holes, Part 1 of 3; the discovery of the white dwarf companion star of Sirius; Part 2 in 1977 MAY(#3959), Part 3 in 1977 JUN(#3972); correction for Sirius B in 1979 SEP, an essay on that star |
| |
Science: Twinkle, Twinkle, Microwaves |
1977 MAY |
sces |
stars; white dwarfs, pulsars, neutron stars & black holes, Part 2 of 3; neutron stars, how microwaves were used to study them; Part 1 in 1977 APR(#3946), Part 3 in 1977 JUN(#3972); see sequel in 1984 MAR(#5127) |
| |
Science: Final Collapse, The |
1977 JUN |
sces |
stars; white dwarfs, pulsars, neutron stars & black holes, Part 3 of 3; black holes, the result of the final collapse; Part 1 in 1977 APR(#3946), Part 2 in 1977 MAY(#3959) |
| |
Science: Of Ice and Men |
1977 JUL |
sces |
Ice Ages & the Earth's orbital eccentricities, Part 1 of 3; the Ice Ages & their effect on mankind; Part 2 in 1977 AUG(#4001), Part 3 in 1977 SEP(#4015) |
| |
Science: Oblique the Centric Globe |
1977 AUG |
sces |
Ice Ages & the Earth's orbital eccentricities, Part 2 of 3; Earth's orbital & axial changes & the Ice Ages; Part 1 in 1977 JUL(#3990), Part 3 in 1977 SEP(#4015) |
| |
Science: Opposite Poles, The |
1977 SEP |
sces |
Ice Ages & the Earth's orbital eccentricities, Part 3 of 3; how the differences between the North & South poles have affected the possibilities of Ice Ages; Part 1 in 1977 JUL(#3990), Part 2 in 1977 AUG(#4001) |
| |
Science: Subtlest Difference, The |
1977 OCT |
sces |
life & death, what are they?;"what is the difference between a human 5 minutes before death, & 5 minutes after?"; "is there any evidence of life after death that can be considered as scientific & rational?"; Bridey Murphy mentioned on p.146 |
| |
Science: Sons of Mars Revisited, The |
1977 NOV |
sces |
satellites of Mars - Phobos & Deimos, Part 1 of 3; a sequel to 1967 AUG science essay "Kaleidoscope in the Sky"; Part 2 in 1977 DEC(#4054), Part 3 in 1978 JAN(#4067) |
| |
Science: Dark and Bright |
1977 DEC |
sces |
satellites of Mars - Phobos & Deimos, Part 2 of 3; what they look like from Mariner 9 photographs; their possible origins & composition; Part 1 in 1977 NOV(#4041), Part 3 in 1978 JAN(#4067) |
| |
Science: Real Finds Waiting, The |
1978 JAN |
sces |
satellites of Mars - Phobos & Deimos, Part 3 of 3; the origin & composition of meteorites & asteroids; Phobos & Deimos could be ex-asteroids captured by Mars; Part 1 in 1977 NOV(#4041), Part 2 in 1977 DEC(#4054); see correction in 1978 MAY, p.128 |
| |
Science: Lost Art, The |
1978 FEB |
sces |
numbers; logarithms & exponential numbers, Part 1 of 2; the slide ruler; Part 2 in 1978 MAR(#4092); has 13th coll. of F&SF science essays Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright(1978); has nf book Life and Time(1978) |
| |
Science: Anyone for Tens |
1978 MAR |
sces |
numbers; logarithms & exponential numbers, Part 2 of 2; exponents & the powers of tens, logarithms; Part 1 in 1978 FEB(#4079) |
| |
Science: Floating Crystal Palace, The |
1978 APR |
sces |
Antarctica & man, Part 1 of 4; icebergs, where they come from; world's supply of fresh water not unlimited; Part 2 in 1978 MAY(#4115), Part 3 in 1978 JUN(#4126), Part 4 in 1978 JUL(#4140) |
| |
Science: By Land and By Sea |
1978 MAY |
sces |
Antarctica & man, Part 2 of 4; how icebergs came to be discovered; how hominids & humans dispersed thruout the world, exploration of the globe; Part 1 in 1978 APR(#4104), Part 3 in 1978 JUN(#4126), Part 4 in 1978 JUL(#4140) |
| |
Science: We Were the First That Ever Burst --- |
1978 JUN |
sces |
Antarctica & man, Part 3 of 4; European exploration, finding a southwest or northwest route to Asia; Part 1 in 1978 APR(#4104), Part 2 in 1978 MAY(#4115), Part 4 in 1978 JUL(#4140) |
| |
Science: Second to the Skua |
1978 JUL |
sces |
Antarctica & man, Part 4 of 4; man's exploration of Anarctica, from 1840-1969; Part 1 in 1978 APR(#4104), Part 2 in 1978 MAY(#4115), Part 3 in 1978 JUN(#4126) |
| |
Science: Rings and Things |
1978 AUG |
sces |
planets, Roche's limit, rings & asteroids; how Uranus' rings were discovered; the Trojan asteroids in Jupiter's orbit; discovery of asteroid Chiron, which travels between the orbits of Saturn & Uranus |
| |
Science: Countdown |
1978 SEP |
sces |
temperatures, Part 1 of 2; low temperatures & liquefying gases; Part 2 in 1978 OCT(#4179) |
| |
Science: Toward Zero |
1978 OCT |
sces |
temperatures, Part 2 of 2; low temperatures & liquefying gases when approaching absolute zero; Part 1 1978 SEP(#4166) |
| |
Checklist of Isaac Asimov's F&SF Science Essays, 1958-1978, A |
1978 NOV |
bib |
an alphabetical listing by title of the 240 science essays(does not include the essay in this issue), with a very brief description of their subject matter, & in which collection each essay may be found in, & the titles of all the essay collections so far |
| |
Science: Fifty Million Big Brothers |
1978 NOV |
sces |
extraterrrestial life possibilities, Part 1 of 2; the possibility of other life in the universe; an update of the essay "Who's Out There?" in 1963 SEP; Part 2 in 1978 DEC(#4202) |
| |
Science: Where Is Everybody? |
1978 DEC |
sces |
extraterrestial life possibilities, Part 2 of 2; the possibilities of the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy; why haven't we heard from anyone yet?; Part 1 in 1978 NOV(#4192) |
| |
Science: Proxima |
1979 JAN |
sces |
stars; our closest neighbors, Alpha Centauri A(Barnard's Star), Alpha Centauri B, Alpha Centauri C(Proxima Centauri - the 2nd closest star, right now, after our own sun); see addendum 1979 MAY, p.110, if our Sun had a red-dwarf companion, ... |
| |
Science: Road to Infinity, The |
1979 FEB |
sces |
black holes; the comparative sizes of things, from Isaac Asimov to the Earth to the Universe, based on their mass, if they were black holes; has 14th coll. of F&SF science essays The Road to Infinity(1979) |
| |
Science: Out, Damned Spot! |
1979 MAR |
sces |
sunspots; the history of their observation, & their influences on Earth's weather, etc; Asimov has written a two-volume autobiography, In Memory Yet Green(1979; N-1980 HUG, LOC), & In Joy Still Felt(1980; W-1981 LOC; N-1981 HUG) |
| |
Science: Long Day's Journey, A |
1979 APR |
sces |
Moon, its effects on the Earth, Part 1 of 2; how the Moon is slowing the Earth's rotation; sequel to science essay "Time and Tide" in 1966 MAY; Part 2 in 1979 MAY(#4267) |
| |
Science: Inconstant Moon, The |
1979 MAY |
sces |
Moon, its effect on the Earth, Part 2 of 2; how the Moon is slowly getting farther away; Part 1 in 1979 APR(#4254) |
| |
Science: Alas, All Human |
1979 JUN |
sces |
scientific dishonesty, through overeagerness, fabrication of data, taking credit for others work, etc |
| |
Science: Below the Horizon |
1979 JUL |
sces |
stars; "which stars can be seen from which points on Earth"; specifically, Alpha Centauri |
| |
Science: Clone, Clone of My Own |
1979 AUG |
sces |
sexual reproduction advantages; steps in the development of a fertilized egg, & the possibilities of cloning; practical problems of mammalian cloning |
| |
Science: How Little? |
1979 SEP |
sces |
stars; physical characteristics of Sirius B; what it would be like if Sirius B was the Sun's companion star; addendum: correction to 1977 APR essay, "The Dark Companion," which also talks of Sirius B |
| |
Dreaming Is a Private Thing |
1979 OCT |
ss |
1st pub. in F&SF 1955 DEC, exp. from SRL, 28 MAY 1955; see interviews in Rune 1974 FLL, Visions 1989 SPR, AMZ 1992 OCT, LOC 1992 JUN(#377), & in George Hay(ed): Pulsar #1(1978), Paul Walker: Speaking of S. F.(1978), Charles Platt: Dream Makers(1980; 1987) |
| |
Science: Just Thirty Years |
1979 OCT |
sces |
planets, advances in the last 30 years in what we know of the planets; how much of what was science fiction 30 years ago when F&SF was born, is fantasy now?, in particular about the planets in our solar system |
| |
Science: Sun Shines Bright, The |
1979 NOV |
sces |
neutrinos; aspects of the neutrino that have been discovered since his book, The Neutrino: Ghost Particle of the Atom(1966) |
| |
Science: Useless Metal, The |
1979 DEC |
sces |
elements, uranium; Part 1 of 3; the history of uranium & radioactivity, from the beginning, of course; Part 2 in 1980 JAN(#4396), Part 3 in 1980 FEB(#4405) |
| |
Science: Neutrality! |
1980 JAN |
sces |
elements, uranium & the neutron, Part 2 of 3; the discovery of the neutron; uranium, radium, & radioactivity; Part 1 in 1979 DEC(#4384), Part 3 in 1980 FEB(#4405) |
| |
Science: Finger of God, The |
1980 FEB |
sces |
elements, uranium; Part 3 of 3; the discovery of uranium fission; Part 1 in 1979 DEC(#4384), Part 2 in 1980 JAN(#4396) |
| |
Science: Noblest Metal of Them All, The |
1980 MAR |
sces |
elements, platinum; the metal platinum through history |
| |
Science: Nice Guys Finish First |
1980 APR |
sces |
human nature; "Why are human beings so different? Why so combative? Why so deadly? ... is it a case of nasty guys finishing first?" |
| |
Science: More Crowded! |
1980 MAY |
sces |
overpopulation; sequel to "Crowded!" in 1967 MAR(#2465); the most crowded cities of the world, population figures from 1967 & 1979 compared, thanks to George Thomas Kurian: The Book of World Rankings(1979); see related essays 1969 MAY, 1988 JUN |
| |
Science: Unsecret Weapon, The |
1980 JUN |
sces |
Greek fire, "the most remarkable secret weapon in history ... that wasn't a secret ... (a) combination of sulphur, naptha, quicklime (calcium oxide), & niter (potassium nitrate)"; also discusses the longbow |
| |
Science: Siriusly Speaking |
1980 JUL |
sces |
stars; Sirius A, the nearest star to Earth(after the sun), in history; see Asimov's science essay "Proxima" in F&SF 1979 JAN, that also deals with Sirius A |
