Scientific American January 1996 [antikvár]

Letter from the Editor Maybe life would just seem longer. That was my first reaction upon learning that we might be able to extend our life spans—and Improve our general health—by putting ourselves on a tough diet. As Richard Weindruch explains in "Caloric Restriction and Aging" (page 32), a growing stack of evidence hints that cutting way back on our calories while still getting enough essential \1tamins, minerals and other nutrients could add years to our lives. It works for rats. It works for gup-pies. Why not people? Alas, this is not what we want to hear. Most of us have prayed that a lab-coated Ponce de León would discover a Soda Fountain of Youth to vindicate our guilty appetites. Chocolate, we would find, built strong bones. Creme brulée improved eyesight and restored hair. A thick slab of barbecued ribs with extra sauce and a side order of french fries could cure whooping cough, erase wrinkles, lower blood pressure and make us better dancers. Instead we may be mo\1ng into an era when waiflike model Kate Moss will look unhealthy because she's a little too zaftig. Fortimately, there's hope. Weindruch notes that biomedical research may yet provide us with drugs or other interventions that can block the deleterious effects of an energy-rich diet. In the meantime, though, read up on the state of the research and mull the consequences before ordering your next ice cream cone. This month's cover story—"The Real Threat of Nuclear Smuggling"—concerns a different threat, one that has perhaps been dismissed too readily by many policymakers and pundits. As Phil Williams and Paul N. Woessner argue, the possible rise of a thriving black market in radioactive materials could put at least a measure of the deadly force once restricted to the superpowers into the hands of unstable nations, gangsters and terrorists. Is there cause for alarm? Judge for yourself, starting on page 26. COVER art by Slim Films On a brighter note, congratulations to Ian Stewart, author of our monthly "Mathematical Recreations" column. The Council of the Royal Society in London recently bestowed its Michael Faraday Award on Ian for his achievements in communicating mathematics to the general public. Few writers have ever done so with such charm or with such avidity—as in his books, including Does God Play Dice? and The Collapse of Chaos, on television and radio and, not least of all, in Scientific American. JOHN RENNIE, Editor in Chief