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For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Contents of this News Tip:
MICROBES TO THE RESCUEOne of the most promising and cost-effective environmental clean-up technologies for contaminated soil and groundwater is "in situ bioremediation." In situ bioremediation is the use of microorganisms to restore a contaminated environment without having to excavate or otherwise disturb the contaminated site. Many natural environments contain microbes capable of destroying pollutants, according to scientist Raina Miller of the University of Arizona, who recently received a grant from NSF's environmental geochemistry and biogeochemistry program to study these microbes. She will employ an advanced technique that involves fiber-optic detection of the contaminant-degrading microorganisms to determine how many of them there are, and their activity levels. Miller's research will evaluate ways of enhancing in situ bioremediation, such as application of surfactants, or detergents, that may "free up" contaminants "stuck" to solid surfaces, like clay or sand particles. Miller hopes the results of her research will improve scientists' ability to predict how contaminants move through soil and groundwater, and also increase their understanding of how contaminants get to where they eventually wind up. [Cheryl Dybas] EXPLORE ANTARCTICA ON-LINE THIS JANUARYChildren's author Sandra Markle will share the excitement of scientific research in Antarctica on-line when she travels to the National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station January 15, 1996 and boards NSF's icebreaker, the Nathaniel B. Palmer, for a research cruise. "On-line Expedition: Antarctica" will enable users to explore the continent through "clickable" maps, questions and answers, hands-on investigations, dynamic photos and graphics, movies, audio features, and live chat sessions. The expedition will also feature Markle's daily journal. A teacher's guide will be furnished through Scholastic Network's America On-Line site. The project, starting off when Markle reaches NSF's McMurdo Station in Antarctica, will include thematic units: Research Station (January 15-23), Weather Watch (January 24-27), Super Tools (January 28-February 4), Wild Life (February 5 13), Earth Probe (February 14-20), and Ice Trek (February 2129). A sample promotion can be seen now at: http//www.scholastic.com The project is cosponsored by NSF and Scholastic Network. [Lynn Simarski] JAMES BOND CASTS "GOLDEN EYE" ON REAL-LIFE SCIENCE CENTERThe giant satellite dish appearing in the climactic scenes of the James Bond 007 film "Golden Eye" exists in real life -- only it isn't a satellite dish at all, but the world's largest radioradar telescope. A crew from Eon Productions spent several days in January 1995 filming on location at the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The observatory is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center operated by Cornell University under a contract with the National Science Foundation (NSF). The "dish" -- scientists say the proper name is "reflector" -is 1,000 feet in diameter, 167 feet deep, and covers 20 acres. The surface is made up of 40,000 perforated aluminum panels, each measuring about 3 feet by 6 feet. It is the largest curved focusing antenna on the planet, making it the world's most sensitive radio telescope. Feed antennas hanging from the platform pick up electromagnetic signals from distant pulsars, quasars, flare stars, galaxies and interstellar clouds. They do not, however, pick up secret agents slipping from overhead platforms. Film-makers built a 60-foot scale model of the site and constructed interior sets for scenes shot in a studio near London because "we wouldn't let them blow up the real thing," Daniel R. Altschuler, director of the Arecibo Observatory, says with Bond-like aplomb. And there is at least one other crucial difference between film and fact: None of the scientists at Arecibo drive a BMW, Agent 007's choice of transportation. The observatory is open to the public and, thanks in part to James Bond, visitors will have more to see and do soon. Eon Productions has contributed $20,000 towards the construction of a new $2.5 million visitor and education center at the observatory, scheduled to open in September 1996. Other funds are coming from the Angel Ramos Foundation, the private sector, Puerto Rican government funds, and NSF. [George Chartier]
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