发信人: McKinsey (雪山环抱的小镇・科罗拉多), 信区: LifeScience
标  题: 创刊125周年的《科学》杂志提出125个“天问”
发信站: 水木社区 (Sat Jul  2 06:59:04 2005), 站内

大家都在说重要的工作，那么现在，重要的问题来了。。。


创刊125周年的《科学》杂志提出125个“天问” 
 
消息来源：九派神州　：2005-07-01　浏览人数：1077 
美国《科学》杂志编委会在将于７月１日出版的新一期杂志上提出１２５个“天问”，也
就是目前挑战全球科学界的重要基础性问题。《科学》杂志编委会说，其中２５个问题最
为醒目，也有望不久得到解决。 
这２５个问题涉及的范围从宇宙构成、地球演化、生命兴起直到人类自身。物理领域的问
题包括：宇宙的构成究竟如何？描述世界的物理理论能否统一？量子不确定性和非定域性
背后，是否有更深刻的理论？地球内部的活动机理如何？而化学领域的问题是：“自我组
合”物质的化学能发展到什么程度？ 

有几个问题涉及当前全人类面临的挑战。比如：能否研制出有效的艾滋病疫苗？温室效应
会将地球加热到什么程度？什么能源、到什么时候能取代石油？地球能容纳人口的上限是
多少？还有问题涉及信息学和医学：传统计算机的极限在哪里？我们能否选择性地“关闭
”某些免疫反应？ 

在１２５个问题中，关于生命科学领域的问题最多。比如：人类意识的生理基础是什么？
为什么人类的基因只有大约２．５万个，远少于早先的预期？基因变异和人类健康的联系
有多紧密？人类的寿命能延长到多久？什么在控制器官再生？皮肤细胞如何能变成神经细
胞？一个胚细胞如何变成整株植物？人类是否是宇宙中唯一的智慧生命？ 

又比如：地球上的生命何时、何地开始兴起？什么在决定物种多样性？是什么基因变异使
人类和其他灵长动物区分开来？记忆是如何存储和恢复的？人类的合作行为是如何演化来
的？如何将海量的生物信息数据综合成生命活动的图景？ 

今年是《科学》杂志创刊１２５周年。这１２５年中，这份由大发明家爱迪生创办的杂志
成为世界最著名的科学刊物之一。因此，由各领域专家组成的杂志编委会特地挑选了１２
５个科学“大问题”作为纪念。 

《科学》杂志总编唐纳德・肯尼迪在一份声明中强调，这些“大问题”中有一些可能永远
得不到答案，但它们指明了科学家们前进的方向，而解决这些问题的努力也将丰富人类的
知识。

发信人: McKinsey (雪山环抱的小镇・科罗拉多), 信区: LifeScience
标  题: top25
发信站: 水木社区 (Sat Jul  2 06:59:53 2005), 站内

THE QUESTIONS 
The Top 25
Essays by our news staff on 25 big questions facing science over the next quarte
r-century.
> What Is the Universe Made Of? 
> What is the Biological Basis of Consciousness? 
> Why Do Humans Have So Few Genes? 
> To What Extent Are Genetic Variation and Personal Health Linked? 
> Can the Laws of Physics Be Unified? 
> How Much Can Human Life Span Be Extended? 
> What Controls Organ Regeneration? 
> How Can a Skin Cell Become a Nerve Cell? 
> How Does a Single Somatic Cell Become a Whole Plant? 
> How Does Earth's Interior Work? 
> Are We Alone in the Universe? 
> How and Where Did Life on Earth Arise? 
> What Determines Species Diversity? 
> What Genetic Changes Made Us Uniquely Human? 
> How Are Memories Stored and Retrieved? 
> How Did Cooperative Behavior Evolve? 
> How Will Big Pictures Emerge from a Sea of Biological Data? 
> How Far Can We Push Chemical Self-Assembly? 
> What Are the Limits of Conventional Computing? 
> Can We Selectively Shut Off Immune Responses? 
> Do Deeper Principles Underlie Quantum Uncertainty and Nonlocality? 
> Is an Effective HIV Vaccine Feasible? 
> How Hot Will the Greenhouse World Be? 
> What Can Replace Cheap Oil -- and When? 
> Will Malthus Continue to Be Wrong? 

So Much More to Know . . .
A roundup of 100 additional problems that should keep researchers busy for years
 to come.


 
  
 

 
    
EDITORIAL GUIDE


Signals from the Past
L. B. Ray, E. M. Adler, N. R. Gough 
STKE editors provide a small taste of the cell signaling articles published duri
ng Science's 125 years.  
 
  
 

 
    

PERSPECTIVES


Reactive Oxygen Species and Aging -- Evolving Questions
L. L. Dugan and K. L. Quick 
How do ROS contribute to aging in higher organisms? 
Metabolomics -- Opening Another Window into Aging
B. S. Kristal and Y. I. Shurubor 
What can analysis of the metabolome tell us about aging?  

NEWS FOCUS


Will We Find Biomarkers of Aging?
R. J. Davenport 
How Can We Use Moderate Stresses to Fortify Humans and Slow Aging?
M. Leslie 
How Can We Craft a Better Theory to Explain the Evolution of Aging?
M. Leslie  
  
 

 
    
FEATURES


Undisciplined
J. Kling 
A cancer researcher finds rapidly evolving genes in a place that in theory shoul
d be evolutionarily stable. 
Shedding Light on the Dark Side of the Universe
C. Parks 
Cosmologist Licia Verde studies dark energy, dark matter, and the evolution of o
ur universe.  

Pushing the Boundaries of Science Fiction
E. Pain 
Hunting for the genetic basis of disease susceptibility may be a risky career ch
oice, but well worth it. 
Finding the Right Response to a Global Invader
A. Forde 
Studying natural effective immune responses to HIV may offer insights into a new
 vaccine strategy.  
  
 

 

--
If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it,
we would be so simple that we couldn't.

another100


http://www.newsmth.net/bbstcon.php?board=LifeScience&gid=44841