FROM THE EDITOR Our Place in the Universe What does it take these days to wake us up? RESEARCH AND POLICY Washington Show n' Tell From the Internet to quieter jets, Defense-sponsored research is worth supporting. OUTLOOK Hamlet and the Infinite Universe What universe did Hamlet inhabit? One in which the stars were fixed and the Earth in the center? Or was he more modern than that? ENCYCLOPEDIA Sparking Controversy The book, Don't Burn It Here, chronicles the controversy surrounding waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators. Bone Carpenters Knowing how bones grow, at the cellular level, might alert physicians to problems before they begin. The Leptoquark Strange results at the ZEUS particle detector imply "there's some new physics out there." Sprites and Elves in the Atmosphere A new lightning phenomenon has finally been captured on film. No More Mushy Mushrooms New packaging tries to keep mushrooms fresh by letting moisture out. The World in a Treehole Beetles and mosquitoes both inhabit holes in trees; we'd rather have more beetles. NEWS REPORTS Recent reports from Penn State's newswire

COVER STORY First Light For the Hobby-Eberly Telescope team, it was crunch time: time to see whether this huge new telescope would actually work. Reporter David Pacchioli traveled to Texas to witness the event. Cometwatcher Watching comet Hale-Bopp, and measuring the carbon monoxide it ejects, might tell astronomer Maria Womack and her students what the universe is made of. "Planets From the Start" A profile of astronomer Alexander Wolszczan, discoverer of the first planets outside our solar system. Child's Talk Looking back on her own research of 20 years ago, Lynne Vernon-Feagans finds that insensitivity to language use can be extremely subtle. How a child learns to tell a story could mean success or failure in school. Shadows in Context Kenneth Burke's elusive thoughts have influenced economists, psychologists, and rhetoricians. Working from Penn State's sizable Burke archives, English professor Jack Selzer looks at this insightful thinker's early years.

FIELDNOTES Antarctic Summer An excerpt from philosopher Alphonso Lingis's book, Abuses. NOTEBOOK Tick Talk Writer David Pacchioli finds himself respecting the loathsome tick. INDEX Search this or a past issue by keyword

COVER Close-up of the mirror bed of the new Hobby-Eberly telescope. When complete the bed will hold 91 one-meter hexagons together creating one giant (11-meter) mirror. See "First Light." Photo by Larry Ramsey.