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Since Professsor Lamb wrote on “The New Look of Climatology” (Nature, 223, 1209; 1969) he has set up a research unit in the University of East Anglia for study of the long-term behaviour and current trends of climate.
It is a hundred years since van der Waals related the pressure, volume and temperature of a fluid by the equation which bears his name. This article which is based on a lecture delivered at an Institute of Physics Conference at the University of Kent in April, describes the background and present value of his work.
Nuclear power may finally be about to come into its own. This article examines the past and glances at the future of the industry and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Plate tectonic theory has provided a synthesis to account for the geological development of the Earth's crust during the past 10% of its history. Doubts are now being expressed, however, about the applicability of this theory to the origin of some zones of deformed Precambrian rocks.
Electron microscopy, at present a versatile tool in the study of biological systems, can benefit from advances in instrument technology and its application.
Dr Bishop here discusses the isotopic dating methods used in developing a time-scale for continental deposits yielding hominid and other mammalian fossils from the past 5 million years.