SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY likely. "Liquid crystal display technology is a prime example of a hybrid molecular-semiconductor technology that has achieved widespread success/' he says. One of the problems that has to be solved with protein memory cubes is the provision of an environment for the protein that will give it stability over decades rather than a few years. "Right now, our memories will store information for five years plus or minus a year without any trouble," says Birge. "It's going to take a lot of additional work not only using chemistry but also using molecular biology to make something that can store data on the order of 20 years." Birge considers protein memory cubes to be more environmentally friendly than semiconductors, however. "There are several steps in making a semiconductor device, such as cleansing and etching, that involve a major amount of pollution," observes Birge. "The preparation and isolation of the protein is environmentally safe, and you can even eat the protein. It is nutritious, but not delicious." The Syracuse team is also working on other types of memory applications for bacteriorhodopsin. One of these is the use of the protein to build neural networks that mimic the learning-byassociation capabilities of the brain. This type of memory is known as associative. An associative memory receives an image, or block of data, and then searches the entire memory for a data block that matches the input. The memory then returns the matching or most closely matching block as output. "You feed in a small amount of data and the memory finds that location in memory that has the best overlap with the data you fed in. It then feeds back not only that piece of information but all the associated information," explains Birge. Birge's laboratory has developed an associative-memory device that relies on the holographic properties of thin films of bacteriorhodopsin. "The device takes advantage of the fact that when the protein is activated with light, it changes its refractive index dramatically," he says. "During this refractive index change, it can function as a holographic recording material." Holograms allow multiple images to be stored in the same memory segment. This enables large sets of data to be analyzed simultaneously. • 26
MAY 22,1995 C&EN
New journal forgoes traditional peer review Rustum Roy doesn't think much of peer review as it is traditionally practiced. For years, he has complained that it slows the dissemination of research findings and is biased against truly innovative results. He favors peer review of past performance instead. Almost three years ago, Roy, a prominent materials scientist at Pennsylvania State University, caused a stir by announcing a research advance in diamond synthesis at a press conference before any journal had even had a chance to review the work (C&EN, Oct. 26, 1992, page 5). And now he's fired another salvo in his campaign against traditional peer review by preparing to launch a materials science journal that will rapidly publish "new, unexpected, and innovative" results without the delays caused by reviewers. Other materials researchers contacted by C&EN do not regard the peer review system as an outdated relic of the past— as Roy does—and they are not enthused by a new journal that throws traditional peer review out the window. At peer-reviewed journals, the editors decide whether to publish a paper based largely on the comments of scientists not directly connected with the research who review the manuscript in
Roy: innovative results without delays
detail. Roy's new journal, Innovations in Materials Research (IMR), will examine the author's past publications track record "instead of nitpicking on the details of [the] submitted manuscript," Roy explains in the journal's publicity release. Authors who have published 50 papers or patents (fewer for those working in industry) will have to submit their bibliographies to establish their track record. This process, which Roy calls "super peer review," places full responsibility for the paper's content on the authors and "uses the authors' published record as guarantee." Researchers who haven't established the necessary track record may submit their paper via a colleague who has and who agrees to sponsor them. Alternatively, younger or less prolific authors may submit their bibliography and indicate what they regard as the most significant and innovative papers. The other key feature of IMR, according to Roy, is its focus on the new and unexpected. The journal's brochure notes that "dozens of journals are available for publishing the enormous amounts of good incremental science done in every subfield of materials research. But [papers reporting major] and unexpected advances are buried in a great deal of other material. Moreover, it is precisely these papers that encounter the greatest resistance in the traditional 'peer review' system. [IMR] will focus on such genuinely innovative papers." To help the IMR editors judge the suitability of a paper, the manuscript must point out its key innovations and how the research differs from or advances previous work. This section of the paper also must indicate the extent to which the author searched the literature to find relevant previous work in the field. Roy tells C&EN that the scientific literature is littered with erroneous reports, most of which are not corrected, and only some of which have been retracted. When retractions are published, they often are not titled in a way that allows them to be picked up in computerized literature searches, he points out. And some journals have even refused to publish retractions. IMR hopes to avoid these problems, while at the same time encouraging discussion and criticism. To this end,
the journal will publish readers' com ments on published papers. All such comments will be published using the title of the original paper, followed by an appropriate addendum, such as Dis cussion, Correction, or Reply to Discus sion. This, Roy believes, will ensure that computerized searches will lead to a complete record including corrections and comments. He hopes that this fea ture "will restore some of the personal vitality to the literature." Roy, who is editor-in-chief of JMR, has assembled a "very distinguished" board of 20 editors from around the world to handle manuscripts. The journal will be published by World Scientific Publish ing in Singapore. He expects the first is sue of IMR to roll off the presses in July, followed by two or three more issues in 1995. The plan is to print six issues in 1996, and to go to monthly publication after that. By January 1996, Roy hopes the journal will be able to publish a pa per within two months. Of course, the publication schedule depends on what kind of reception the journal gets. "Frankly, I don't know whether we will be swamped or starved" in the beginning, Roy says. Submissions are just beginning to trickle in. Asked about the quality of the pa pers, Roy mentions one paper that is "first rate" and another that is on the borderline between "really innovative" and "weird." That could be a hint of what is to come. Timothy M. Swager, a materials chemist at the University of Pennsylvania, pre dicts that the new journal "will not be used by creditable scientists. It will most likely be the Natwnal Enquirer of the sci entific literature and will largely be used for amusement rather than dissemina tion of scientific information." This opinion is echoed by chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber of Harvard University: "Cold fusion is a perfect ex ample of a 'truly innovative and unex pected' result that would benefit from such a journal. The peer review system is not perfect [but] I have found that most scientists offer honest and constructive comments in these reviews, and I believe that such criticism ultimately leads to better scientific publications." Chemistry professor David M. Walba of the University of Colorado, Boulder, admits having "decidedly mixed feel ings" about IMR. "I am sympathetic to the basic idea of a fast-turnaround vehi cle for hot new results," he says. On the
other hand, if good materials work is not appearing in existing refereed journals, he adds, it may be up to the materials community to do a better job of refereeing for those journals. Other researchers contacted by C&EN also didn't see any particular need for this new journal. And they questioned whether someone with truly innovative results would prefer to publish them in a new journal that doesn't have an estab lished reputation. Roy has heard all this before: "They said exactly the same things when we started the first materials journal—the Materials Research Bulletin—in 1966 and when a group of us started the Materials Research Society in 1973. They both changed the culture of materials science." IMR is "an experiment," Roy contin ues. "Maybe it won't work." But if it does work, he hopes the idea "will catch on and spread" throughout the publica tions world. "That's my hope—that it'll save the [materials] community a lot of time and effort." Individual subscription rates for JMR start at $85. In the U.S., orders (and re quests for a complimentary issue) may be placed by calling (800) 227-7562. Ron Dagani
'Evolved' ribozyme boosts view of RNA Researchers in Boston and Santa Cruz, Calif., have discovered that RNA has the hidden ability to catalyze a critical bio logical reaction, bolstering the theory that RNA was the primary agent of life before DNA and proteins took over. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, a singlestranded nucleic acid chain, is best known for its role as DNA's messenger. But RNA molecules can also behave like enzymes, catalyzing reactions with them selves and other pieces of RNA. These specialized snippets are called "ribozymes," a term coined by their discoverer, Thomas R. Cech, a chemistry professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Cech received the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemis try for his work on ribozymes. It is RNA's ability to assume both genetic and enzymatic duties that has led some researchers to propose that life began with RNA. In this scenario, early forms of RNA would have per formed the jobs of both DNA and pro teins, until these two separate molecu-
Maximize Your Polymer Performance BTDA delivers: • Exceptional thermo-oxidative stability • Outstanding electrical properties • Increased hardness • Extreme chemical/solvent resistance Call Bob Doone at 1-800 437-1998.
DiatiEiydrfde
Foundations For High Performance
LLCO
CHEMICAL CORPORATION
CIRCLE 1 ON READER SERVICE CARD
You didn't expect polymer analysis to get this easy THE POINFERS OF THE COMBINFD G P C Refractive Index, Viscosity and Light Scattering Analysis now intro duces yet another solution to your complex polymer analysis problems: Viscotek Analytical Services. Send your samples to us and get the results you need, from the experts... • True A\w, Ain, N\z, IV and///ore • Full range oj Solution Viscosities • Customized Analysis Available Call ( 7 1 3 ) 4 4 5 - 5 9 6 6 for more information and our free brochure.
VISCOTEK 15600 W. Hardy Street · Houston. ΊΧ 77060 USA CIRCLE 11 ON READER SERVICE CARD
