A new form of matter unveiled Physicists create the long sought Bose-Einstein condensate, allowing easier exploration of quantum mechanics 1924 Einstein predicted the existence of a new phase of matter, an exotic state in which atoms defied the laws of classical physics and followed only the dictums of quantum mechanics. 1995 chilling wisps of gas to ultracold temperatures, physicsts got their first look at this state, named the Bose-Einstein condenstae. After Einstein and Indian physicist Satyendra Bose. This Year's work ends an arduous quest and ushers in a new age of exploration in atomic and condensed matter physics. This form of matter is not a molecule. This achievement eludes the everyday forces that bind atoms together into molecules and so unmask the more subtle powers of quantum mechanics. While atoms in an ordinary gas dart about in all directions. the atoms in the condensate move in lock step, at identical speed and direction. They have relinquished their individual identities to become a single collective entity, and their organized condition is expected to give rise to bizarre properties. Physicists hope to apply the new knowledge by making a laser which shoots beams of atoms instead of light. Understanding the laws that govern matter in this cold, coherent state may help physicists understand the mysteries of superconductivity. /*---------------------------------------------------------------------*/ Hot research Areas in 1996: (1) Gene Testing- predilected genes for genetic diseases. (2) Neutrino News - neutrino properties and mass experiments. (3) Bacterial Warfare - Array of unrelated virulent bacteria possess a newly discovered weapon - the ability to deliver proteins and other molecules into target cells, disarm them or disrupt their internal communications. Type 3 secretion system and how this helps bacteria vanquish their hosts (4) Xenophilia - Novel ani-rejection therapies, animal-to-human organ transplants may now be feasible; clinical test cases. (5) Mental Markers. for mental illness. Chromosome 6 linked to schizophrenia. Then finding the gene itself. (6) Life in the '90s. What organisms thrive in oil wells, solid rock and the searing heat of deep sea vents? Extremophiles , microbes in biology and chemistry with potential industrial uses. 1995 we identified the crystal structures of enzymes from these one-celled wonders. Sequencing microbes genomes to probe how they survive in extreme conditions (7) G Whiz - two small G proteins named Rac and Rho have been revealed as central switches in the cellular communication network the pair send signals that help trigger cell movement , but also prompt cell proliferation and gene transcription. Details of signaling pathways will be learned /*---------------------------------------------------------------------*/ Making a new ruler for the nanoworld As devices shrink to the nanometer (billionth of a meter) scale, the present nanochampion the STM works by moving a tip over a sample, maintaining a slight but constant eletrcial current between tip and sample surface. This constancy requires the tip to move up and down as it encounters atomic hills and valleys. picking up atomic scale features. STM is combined with laser interferometry ! shooting for an accuracy of one nanometer over 50 millimeters. By training a laser on the STM tip as it moves across a vaster landscape M3 can measure small features and indicate just how far apart those features are. /*---------------------------------------------------------------------*/ Search for Better crystals explores inner, outer space The biggest challenges in determining protein structure : growing the highquality crystals needed for xray analysis. Coaxing such crystals to form is still an art, but the meeting saw the beginnings of a more systematic approach. One presentation quantified the advantage of growing crystals in space ;another presented techniques for growing better crystals on Earth /*---------------------------------------------------------------------*/ Computer Vision Direct perception of 3D Motion from patterns of Visual Motion Measurements of retinal motion along a set of predetermined orientations on the retina of a moving system give rise to global patterns. Bbecause the form and location of these patterns depend purely on 3D motion, the effects of 3D motion and scene structure on image motion can be globally separated. The patterns are founded on easily derivable image measurements that depend only on the sign of image motion and do not require information about optical flow. The computational theory presented shows how self motion of a system can be estimated by locating these patterns. /*---------------------------------------------------------------------*/ A gap in the highest energy cosmic ray spectrum as a signature of unificationscale physics Recent experimental data seem to indicate that there is significant structure in the cosmic ray spectrum above 10^18 eV. Besides a dip at ~5x10^18eV , two events above 2x10^20 eV have been observed. The implications for the existence of the Greisen-Zatsepin Kuzmin cutoff at a few times 10^19 eV , caused by energy losses in the cosmic microwave background, has been predicted to occurin most acceleration models involving extragalactic sources. An acceleration origin of particles above 10^20eV within a few megaparsecs cannot be ruled out. Persistence of apparent gap in data at quadrupled total exposure rules out acceleration models at 99% confidence level for any source distance. Particles above 10^20 eV might directly produce decay from high energy scale in contrast to acceleration of charged particles.