| Author |
Story Title |
Issue Date |
Type |
Comments |
| Asimov, Isaac |
Science: Victorious General, The |
1984 JUL |
sces |
Einstein's Special & General Relativity Theories, Part 2 of 2; the various tests that the General Relativity Theory has passed; Part 1 in 1984 JUN(#5166) |
| |
Science: Coming Full Circle |
1984 AUG |
sces |
heart & blood vessels through history; Isaac Asimov had triple bypass surgery in December 1983 |
| |
Science: Different Years of Time, The |
1984 SEP |
sces |
chronology, arbitrary 'squeezed' or compressed years, Part 1 of 2; e.g., The Earth Year: Earth formed(Jan. 1), primitive bacteria(Apr. 1), dinosaurs(Dec. 14), 1st hominids(Dec. 31, 4:30 PM), recorded history(last 35 seconds of year); Part 2 in 1984 OCT |
| |
Science: Different Years of the Universe, The |
1984 OCT |
sces |
chronology, arbitrary 'squeezed' or compressed years, Part 2 of 2; compressed years of a bigger scale, e.g., The Universe Year: Big Bang(Jan. 1), life begins on Earth(Oct. 6), hominids appear(Dec. 31, 9:40 PM), etc; Part 1 in 1984 SEP(#5211) |
| |
Science: Far As Human Eye Could See |
1984 NOV |
sces |
far future of the Earth, stars, our Galaxy, the Universe; also, black holes, & closed and open universes; see addendum in 1985 APR, p.116, a correction to a math error in this essay |
| |
Science: Made, Not Found |
1984 DEC |
sces |
elements & the periodic table: filling in the gaps in it through history, by making or isolating the elements; has edited nf book, with Karen A. Frenkel, Robots: Machine's in Man's Image(1985) |
| |
Science: Far, Far Below |
1985 JAN |
sces |
Earth's interior, thru history; from the 'hollow Earth' theories to present-day knowledge; has 18th coll. of F&SF science essays, The Subatomic Monster(1985) |
| |
Science: Salt and Battery |
1985 FEB |
sces |
electricity & the battery thru history, Part 1 of 4; animal electricity, static electricity; the development of the electric battery; Part 2 in 1985 MAR(#5292), Part 3 in 1985 APR(#5304), Part 4 in 1985 MAY(#5316) |
| |
Science: Current Affairs |
1985 MAR |
sces |
electricity & the battery thru history, Part 2 of 4; electric cells, chemical cells, Lechanché cell, Daniel cell, fuel cell, Jacques cell, storage & secondary batteries, accumulators, lead-acid storage batteries |
| |
Science: Forcing the Lines |
1985 APR |
sces |
electricity & the battery, Part 3 of 4; electrical currents from magnetic lines of force; electricity & magnetism, electrical generators, house electricity; addendum on p.116, correction to math error in "Far As Human Eye Could See," in 1984 NOV |
| |
Science: Arise, Fair Sun! |
1985 MAY |
sces |
electricity & the battery, Part 4 of 4; electricity produced by light, selenium solar cells; historically, the photoelectric effect; Part 1 in 1985 FEB(#5279), Part 2 in 1985 MAR(#5292), Part 3 in 1985 APR(#5304) |
| |
Science: Rule of Numerous Small, The |
1985 JUN |
sces |
stars & planets, what's the difference between the two; the smallest or dimmest star known; addendum, on p.152, an even dimmer star has been found since this essay was written, star VB 8B; see sequel essay, on the largest star, in 1986 MAR(#5454) |
| |
Science: Poison in the Negative |
1985 JUL |
sces |
vitamins, Part 1 of 5; the vitamin-deficient diseases of scurvy, beri-beri, rickets, pellagra; diseases first became well-known during the Age of Exploration; the first steps in treatment & in discovering vitamins; Parts 2-5 in 1985 AUG-NOV |
| |
Science: Tracing the Traces |
1985 AUG |
sces |
vitamins, Part 2 of 5; the isolation of the various vitamins, determining their structures, & their synthesis; Part 1 in 1985 JUL(#5341), Part 3 in 1985 SEP(#5372), Part 4 in 1985 OCT(#5383), Part 5 in 1985 NOV(#5397) |
| |
Science: Goblin Element, The |
1985 SEP |
sces |
vitamins, Part 3 of 5; the most unusual vitamin of all, B12; how it was isolated & its structure determined; Part 1 in 1985 JUL(#5341), Part 2 in 1985 AUG(#5358), Part 4 in 1985 OCT(#5383), Part 5 in 1985 NOV(#5397) |
| |
Science: Little Leaven, A |
1985 OCT |
sces |
vitamins, Part 4 of 5; "going seemingly off-the-subject," with an essay on enzymes, incl. organic catalysts leaven, or yeast; chemical ferments, such as pepsin & trypsin; Parts 1-3 in 1985 JUL-SEP, Part 5 in 1985 NOV |
| |
Science: Biochemical Knife Blade, The |
1985 NOV |
sces |
vitamins, Part 5 of 5; the connection between vitamins & enzymes - many coenzymes have vitamins in their structure; how coenzymes were discovered; Part 1 in 1985 JUL(#5341), Part 2 in 1985 AUG(#5358), Part 3 in 1985 SEP(#5372), Part 4 in 1985 OCT(#5383) |
| |
Science: Discovery of the Void, The |
1985 DEC |
sces |
space, interstellar space, or the void, Part 1 of 2; how empty is space? how far does Earth's atmosphere extend?; what makes up outer space?; what makes up nebulae? & the black 'starless' regions of the Milky Way?; Part 2 in 1986 JAN(#5424) |
| |
Science: Chemistry of the Void |
1986 JAN |
sces |
space, interstellar space, or the void, Part 2 of 2; the elements & molecules that make up interstellar dust & space, and how it was found out; Part 1 in 1985 DEC(#5411) |
| |
Science: Time Is Out of Joint |
1986 FEB |
sces |
time, how it was measured thruout history; why the solar day & the sidereal days are not the same length; has nf coll. The Dangers of Intelligence and Other Science Essays(1986) |
| |
Science: Superstar |
1986 MAR |
sces |
stars, the largest stars; a sequel to essay "The Rule of the Numerous Small" in 1985 JUN(#5328), on the smallest stars; largest is R136a in the Tarantula Nebula |
| |
Science: Moon and We, The |
1986 APR |
sces |
Moon, the lunar influences on Man; 'moonshine,' werewolves, & tidal influences; lunar cycles & superstitions; has nf book Futuredays: A 19th-Century Vision of the Year 2000(1986) |
| |
Science: Minor Objects, The |
1986 MAY |
sces |
asteroids & comets, incl. Apollo objects or near-Earth asteroids; how to distinguish between the two |
| |
Science: Second Lightest, The |
1986 JUN |
sces |
isotopes & radioactive isotopes, Part 1 of 4; the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Harold Clayton Urey, the isotopes of hydrogen, neon, uranium, thorium, lead; the tiny chemical property differences betw. isotopes of an element; Parts 2-4 in 1986 JUL-SEP |
| |
Science: Labels on the Molecules |
1986 JUL |
sces |
isotopes & radioactive isotopes, Part 2 of 4; deuterium(hydrogen-2), & heavy water, via the history of the study of metabolism & the use of isotopic labels; Part 1 in 1986 JUN(#5497), Part 3 in 1986 AUG(#5525), Part 4 in 1986 SEP(#5542) |
| |
Science: Consequences of Pie, The |
1986 AUG |
sces |
isotopes & radioactive isotopes, Part 3 of 4; radioactive tracers & how they were first used; radioisotopes formed by bombarding atoms with alpha particles; Part 1 in 1986 JUN(#5497), Part 2 in 1986 JUL(#5514), Part 4 in 1986 SEP(#5542) |
| |
Science: Enemy Within, The |
1986 SEP |
sces |
isotopes & radioactive isotopes, Part 4 of 4; tracers, specifically Carbon-14; naturally occurring radioactive isotopes found in the human body, & probably causing the occasional cancer or mutation; potassium-40, hydrogen-3; Parts 1-3 in 1986 JUN-AUG |
| |
Science: Relativity of Wrong, The |
1986 OCT |
sces |
right & wrong are not absolutes, but "fuzzy concepts," e.g., the flat Earth, the spherical Earth, the pear-shaped Earth beliefs, etc |
| |
Science: Unmentionable Planet, The |
1986 NOV |
sces |
planet, Uranus; the planet with the ill-pronounced name; new information on it from Voyager 2(closest approach January 24, 1986) |
| |
Science: Dead-End Middle, The |
1986 DEC |
sces |
stars; novas & white dwarfs from binary stars; fusion process in biggest stars us. ends at iron-56, the dead-end middle, as the average particle mass of its nucleus is lowest among the elements(0.99884); most of iron on Earth from exploded white dwarfs |
| |
Science: Opposite! |
1987 JAN |
sces |
antimatter & antimatter particles, Part 1 of 2; their discovery, beginning with the work of Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac(1902-1984); Part 2 in 1987 FEB(#5614); has 19th coll. of F&SF science essays, Far As Human Eye Could See(1987) |
| |
Science: Sail On! Sail On! |
1987 FEB |
sces |
antimatter, Part 2 of 2; modes for interstellar travel discussed & compared - chemical reaction, radioactive breakdown energy, fission, fusion, & antimatter propulsion systems; Part 1 in 1987 JAN(#5601) |
| |
Science: Incredible Shrinking Planet, The |
1987 MAR |
sces |
planet Pluto; how its size kept diminishing since its discovery in 1930, as new ways of studying it were utilized; has nf book Past, Present, and Future(1987) |
| |
Science: Light-Bringer, The |
1987 APR |
sces |
elements, phosphorus, Part 1 of 2; the 1st element discovered by a known person, German chemist Hennig Brand in 1674; Part 2 in 1987 MAY(#5655) |
| |
Science: Beginning With Bone |
1987 MAY |
sces |
elements, phosphorus, Part 2 of 2; its role as an essential element of life, & how this was discovered; Part 1 in 1987 APR(#5640); has nf book with his wife, Janet Asimov, How to Enjoy Writing: A Book of Aid and Comfort(1987) |
| |
Science: New Stars |
1987 JUN |
sces |
stars, novas, Part 1 of 3; how novas were viewed as through historical times; what we know of them from the historical records; Part 2 in 1987 JUL(#5687), Part 3 in 1987 AUG(#5700) |
| |
Science: Brightening Stars |
1987 JUL |
sces |
stars, novas, Part 2 of 3; how & what we have learned about novas, from the year 1604 up to 1909, ending with the mystery of the Andromeda nebula; Part 1 in 1987 JUL(#5673), Part 3 in 1987 AUG(#5700) |
| |
Science: Super-Exploding Stars |
1987 AUG |
sces |
stars, novas, Part 3 of 3; how the study of the 1906 S Andromeda nova led to a wealth of information about novas, supernovas, & the size of the universe; note at end of essay, a new supernova appeared in Large Magellanic Cloud - see 1987 NOV essay(#5744) |
| |
Science: Sacred Poet, A |
1987 SEP |
sces |
poetry, the effect and power of poems; examples, "Old Ironsides," "The Star-Spangled Banner," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "The Battle Cry of Freedom" |
| |
Science: Very Error of the Moon, The |
1987 OCT |
sces |
Moon; the possibilities of how our Moon originated, & the most probable way; first thoughts in 1759 by Georges de Buffon, then new ideas in 1974 by William K. Hartmann |
| |
Science: Asking the Right Question |
1987 NOV |
sces |
stars, supernovas; how the study of the February 23, 1987 supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud aided the study of the neutrino; history of neutrino research; does the neutrino have mass?; follow-up to essay in 1987 AUG(#5700) |
| |
Science: Road to Humanity, The |
1987 DEC |
sces |
humanity & evolution, Part 1 of 2; humanity, when & how did it come into existence?; what was the key event?; starting from the beginning, evolutionary steps 1-19 of 26 along the road to humanity; Part 2 in 1988 JAN(#5774) |
| |
Science: Standing Tall |
1988 JAN |
sces |
humanity & evolution, Part 2 of 2; how the hominids & man evolved, evolutionary steps 20-26, & what differentiates/distinguishes man; his beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde-haired daughter Robyn is compared! to bears, chimps & T. rexes |
| |
Science: Unrecognized Danger, The |
1988 FEB |
sces |
element radon; how it is overlooked, then finally discovered, its properties & dangers to our health; has 20th coll. of F&SF science essays, The Relativity of Wrong(1988) |
| |
Science: Radiation That Wasn't, The |
1988 MAR |
sces |
N-rays, their 'discovery' by Rene Prosper Blondlot in 1903, & how they were eventually proved to be false & delusional; see the false discovery of cold fusion in essay "Hot, Cold, and Con Fusion" in 1990 JAN |
| |
Science: Iron, Cold Iron |
1988 APR |
sces |
element iron, Part 1 of 2; its history & its role in man's history; magnetism, compasses, & man's exploration of the Earth; Part 2 in 1988 MAY(#5834) |
| |
Science: From Pole to Pole |
1988 MAY |
sces |
element iron, Part 2 of 2; history & study of magnetism, Earth's magnetic field & inner core; questions about the Earth's magnetic poles; Part 1 in 1988 APR(#5819) |
| |
Science: Is Anyone Listening? |
1988 JUN |
sces |
overpopulation, where & to what is it leading to, predictions & projections; a sequel to essays "The Power of Progression" in 1969 MAY(#2781), "Crowded!" in 1967 MAR(#2465), & "More Crowded!" in 1980 MAY(#4445) |
| |
Science: Longest River, The |
1988 JUL |
sces |
rivers, the Nile River; how the Nile River helped bring on & how it affected the Egyptian civilization; compared to the same effect of the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers on civilizations; see earlier essay on rivers, "Old Man River" in 1966 NOV(#2422) |
| |
Science: Fire of Life, The |
1988 AUG |
sces |
fuels & fire, Part 1 of 3; fire, how it brought life to Earth, & man to what he is today; getting fire from natural causes, & from solid fuels - wood, charcoal, coal; Part 2 in 1988 SEP(#5890), Part 3 in 1988 OCT(#5903) |
