Science

Medical writer Robin Marantz Henig is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, Mirabella, and Vogue. Her new book, "A Dancing Matrix" is about the work being done to understand viruses. The field has taken on new urgency since the spread of the AIDS virus. Hening says scientists have realized that emergence of a new virus is not as rare as previously though, and that it's caused mostly by human error rather than genetic mutation.

Weinberg received the 1979 Nobel Prize for Physics. He's the author of "The First Three Minutes," about the Big Bang. He's currently working on what he calls the "final theory," the search for the ultimate laws of nature--for the final answer to our questions about why nature is the way it is. That search is tied up with work on the Superconducting Super Collider. His new book is called "Dreams of the Final Theory,"

Writer James Gleick is a former New York Times science reporter and author of the best seller "Chaos." He discusses his new book, "Genius," about Richard Feynman. After Einstein, Feynman is considered to be the father of modern physics. His reputation is controversial because of his involvement in the development of the atom bomb.

Dobson travels the country with a collection of telescopes, setting them up in locations where people who have never looked at the heavens can get an opportunity to do so. He recently appeared on the PBS series, "The Astronomers."

Biologist William Jordan has a new book of essays that contemplates the similarities between the animal and human mind by looking at behavior. It's called "Divorce Among The Gulls: An Uncommon Look at Human Nature.

World class mathematician and world class juggler Ron Graham talks to us about his two great loves. He works at the AT&T Bell Labs, and is one of the few people in America who can juggle seven balls at once.

Science writer Timothy Ferris. In his new book, "The Mind's Sky," Ferris explores the relationship between the universe and how our brains' see the universe. Ferris's earlier books include the best-seller, "Coming Of Age In The Milky Way."

The famed astronomer and writer is co-author of the new book, "A Path Where No Man Thought." It's about the theory that even a small nuclear war would lead to a nuclear winter that would devastate the earth.

Writer Frank White's book "The SETI Factor," looks at the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In 1992, NASA will begin a comprehensive scan of the heavens for radio signals from other solar systems. White says, as a result of that search, it's quite likely that within the next 25 years we'll finally know if we're alone in the universe.

Writer Diane Ackerman's new book explores the cultural and evolutionary importance of the senses, as well as the language we use to describe it.