Mutant 59

Based on the classic sci-fi series Doomwatch, Mutant 59 imagines one of the most terrifying tragedies that modern science could create, a chilling and topical story of what happens when scientific research goes wrong and spreads terror through London (and endangers the world). When an airplane crashes the Ministry of Transport investigates, what caused it to fall out of the sky and could it happen again? Slowly they discover that science has unleashed a genetically engineered bacteria that feeds on (and destroys) all plastic materials. No-one takes any notice of the material used to build gas pipes, electrical insulation, cars and planes until it begins to disintegrate and explode. Has science created a biological time bomb? A jet plane crashes near Heathrow, in the Atlantic a nuclear submarine disappears without trace, central London grinds to a halt. As power stations explode and London's population is evacuated Anna Kramer and Luke Gerrard search for the scientific key to a fiery holocaust that is capable of infecting the world.

This book, Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases 2, is an out come of the Second International Rushmore Conference on Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases, held September 3D-October 3, 1998 in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. Its chapters represent many of the reviews and papers presented at the conference. The meeting was organized by members of the North-Central Regional Research Committee "NC-62", a consortium of researchers of bovine and swine enteric diseases from land-grant institutions supported by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Rushmore Conferences were conceived as a forum for an interdiscipli nary discussion of mechanisms of infectious enteric diseases. It was intended that such a discussion would stimulate cross-pollination of ideas, and nurture synergistic collabora tions among scientists who might otherwise not interact. Enteric diseases are caused by widely divergent pathogens and parasites in broadly different settings, and affect multi ple organ systems. Some enteric diseases affect a single species, while others may affect multiple species, perhaps including human beings. Some enteric diseases were present in antiquity, while others have recently emerged. Knowledge regarding a particular disease or pathogen has frequently proven useful in understanding another disease or pathogen, because common themes in pathogenesis exist. As this knowledge base grows,strategies in the prevention and control of various enteric diseases often converge. Cross-discipli nary discussions and collaborations facilitate growth of this knowledge base, as well as development of tools for disease interdiction.

Zebrafish: Methods for Assessing Drug Safety and Toxicity offers a practical guide for using zebrafish as a tool for toxicology studies. Consolidating key protocols and approaches to help researchers navigate the important and evolving field of zebrafish models for toxicity screening, this new title describes the methods for using the zebrafish as a model organism to assess compound-induced toxicity on all major organs. Individual chapters that concentrate on assays for each organ system are included and various analytical tools including microscopy, microplate readers, high content imaging systems, ECG, blood pressure monitors, high speed video and motion detectors are described.

Examining the pathology and transmission of the most common viral diseases, this reference compiles reviews by international specialists which detail breakthroughs in patient management, diagnostics and treatment of viral infections. The text also describes specific therapeutic agents according to their mode of action and clinical applications, as

This new volume offers a multi-pronged perspective on maize science, bringing together important recent research advances from several disciplines. The volume covers maize from origin to biotechnology. It provides an overview of recent world maize production along with technological advancements and green strategies in maize science. The authors cover the background of maize, its origin and domestication, ideotypes, botany, taxonomy, physiology of crop growth, methods of cultivation, production, nutritional functions, biotic and abiotic stress impacts, postharvest management and technology, maize grain quality, and advances in breeding and biotechnology, filling a gap in the literature of maize.

A series of provocative essays on how the fantastic genres evolve and grow In this wide-ranging series of essays, an award-winning science fiction critic explores how the related genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror evolve, merge, and finally "evaporate" into new and more dynamic forms. Beginning with a discussion of how literary readers "unlearned" how to read the fantastic during the heyday of realistic fiction, Gary K. Wolfe goes on to show how the fantastic reasserted itself in popular genre literature, and how these genres themselves grew increasingly unstable in terms of both narrative form and the worlds they portray. More detailed discussions of how specific contemporary writers have promoted this evolution are followed by a final essay examining how the competing discourses have led toward an emerging synthesis of critical approaches and vocabularies. The essays cover a vast range of authors and texts, and include substantial discussions of very current fiction published within the last few years.

This book explores what science fiction can tell us about the human condition in a technological world, with the ethical dilemmas and consequences that this entails. This book is the result of the joint efforts of scholars and scientists from various disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach sets an example for those who, like us, have been busy assessing the ways in which fictional attempts to fathom the possibilities of science and technology speak to central concerns about what it means to be human in a contemporary world of technology and which ethical dilemmas it brings along. One of the aims of this book is to demonstrate what can be achieved in approaching science fiction as a kind of imaginary laboratory for experimentation, where visions of human (or even post-human) life under various scientific, technological or natural conditions that differ from our own situation can be thought through and commented upon. Although a scholarly work, this book is also designed to be accessible to a general audience that has an interest in science fiction, as well as to a broader academic audience interested in ethical questions.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, A Checklist, 1700-1974, Volume one of Two, contains an Author Index, Title Index, Series Index, Awards Index, and the Ace and Belmont Doubles Index.