Provides selected examples to illustrate the impact of computers in science. Indicates that the most important single factor that has affected and will continue to affect the use of computers in science is the steady advance of technology, especially in the areas of logic and memory. (JN)

Reports effects of context that are entirely perceptual. Visual discrimination was enhanced when line segments were flashed in a region that was perceived as a figure. Discrimination was substantially degraded when the same region was seen as ground although the physical stimulus remained identical throughout figure-ground reversals. (Author/JN)

Discusses the controversy surrounding the initial decision to establish, and the current decision to phase out, the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry (NRCC), a computational chemistry center jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. (CS)

Describes a National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative designed to broaden access to advanced computing facilities for university researchers not eligible to tap into federally subsidized networks. Rationale for and issues related to the initiative are also considered. (JN)

The National Academy of Sciences suggests models for biomedical research which include a biology-wide information system with computerized database accessible from a multitude of dimensions. Links could help discover whether toxic chemicals have effects similar to hormones. Commonalities from molecules to ecosystems might restructure available…

Computer applications in scientific instrumentation are traced from early data processing to modern computer-based instruments. Probable pathways toward instruments with increased "intelligence" include, among others, implementation of hierarchical computer networks and microprocessor controllers and the simplification of programing. The…

The expected thrust for theoretical chemistry in the next decade will be to combine knowledge of fundamental chemical steps/interactions with advances in chemical dynamics, irreversible statistical mechanics, and computer technology to produce simulations of chemical systems with reaction site competition. A sample simulation (using the enzyme…