COSMOS Editorial

Cosmos with a lower case "c" is defined in astronomical terms as the universe, especially as an orderly, harmonious system. Albert Einstein supported the definition with his theory of relativity and the comment, "I cannot believe God plays dice with the cosmos."

It may well be orderly and harmonious but, increasingly, new discoveries challenge our perceptions of the cosmos. That most sacred of modern science absolutes, Einstein's theory, seems open to question since the recent discovery that radio waves move at different speeds through the cosmos depending on their direction-implying that the universe is not expanding evenly as has long been thought. It may even have a polar axis and an up and a down. Thanks to state-of-the-art X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, we can now see things in space-such as black holes and anti-matter-that are invisible. And after astronauts, in effect, fitted the defective Hubble Space Telescope with "glasses," it has been showing us astounding heavenly views and data never before seen or seen so well.

Back on our little piece of the cosmos, no concept or record seems safe. As anthropologists dig deeper and more often, they find that ''early man'' gets earlier and earlier and seems to have been smarter sooner than we thought. Fifty years after it virtually disappeared from eastern U.S. forests, horticulturists have tugged the magnificent American chestnut tree back from the brink of extinction. At scalding hot vents on the ocean floor, oceanographers have found never-before-known species of life. As we race towards the next millennium, this torrent of new knowledge is exciting and reassuring. Despite some truths in the fascinating 1996 book, The End of Science-Facing the Limits of Knowledge in the Twilight of the Scientific Age, we're strongly advised against putting away our shovels, microscopes, and telescopes just yet.

On a less esoteric level, in recent years the political, social, and sports worlds have gone toe-to-toe with science in providing surprises. Disney lost a battle to intellectuals. We're confronted by the possibility that the UN may go the way of the League of Nations. We were saddened to hear that syphilis-which the American Indians introduced to Europeans along with tobacco and tomatoes-may have claimed one of our early American heroes, U.S. Army Captain Meriwether Lewis. It came as a surprise for some of us to learn this past year to learn that 60 generals and admirals worldwide want to ban the atom bomb. The days when a TV anchor man could be the most trusted man in America seem to have ended and maybe for good reasons. Many people feel the media has become too negative, too superficial, and is not to be trusted. Is it a case of shoot the messenger? Despite a pattern of reports that suggest our nation is slipping into chaos, one member finds that most Americans are pretty satisfied with the way things are going. Maybe it is because the market is up and not all the best jobs have fled to the Third World as many predicted.

COSMOS with a capital C-the journal, that is-tries in an orderly and harmonious manner to advise you on emerging issues and important news through cogent reports and observations by learned Cosmos Club members. But, as usual, we failed. It's not that our member/writers didn't do their job well but because we ran out of space. It's been that kind of a year. Maybe next year the discoverers will take sabbaticals and both cosmoses can settle back into a more orderly and harmonious pattern. But don't bet on it.

Bill Garrett, Editor

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