The social construction of copyright ethics and values

This study is based on analysis of copyright policies and 26 interviews with science and engineering faculty at three research universities on the topic of copyright beliefs, values, and practices, with emphasis on copyright of instructional materials, courseware, tools, and texts. Given that research universities now emphasize increasing external revenue flows through marketing of intellectual property, we expected copyright to follow the path of patents and lead to institutional emphasis of policies and practices that enhanced universities' intellectual property portfolios, accompanied by an increase in copyrighting by professors. Although this pattern occurred with regard to institutions, professors offered a more varied pattern, with some fully participating in commercialization of copyright and embracing entrepreneurial values, while others resisted or subverted commercial activity in favor of traditional science and engineering values.

Intractable mixtures and the origin of life

Attempts to model the spontaneous chemistry which presumably preceded the origin of life on Earth commonly result in the production of intractably complex mixtures of organic compounds. It is, therefore, difficult to understand how any kind of evolutionary process might have begun. A number of potential solutions to this well-known and frustrating problem have been offered in the literature over the years. The present contribution briefly reviews and evaluates some of the more promising possibilities.

A bridge between chemistry and biology

Chemical biology is an interdisciplinary field that is undergoing rapid expansion around the globe. Recently, the Japanese Society for Chemical Biology sponsored its inaugural scientific meeting to discuss research at the interface of chemistry and biology.