This time of year can be trying for the determinly science-minded consumer. So, in the interest of relieving stress and promoting familial warmth, Discover's editors present an eclectic selection of gift toys, CD-ROMs, and books. And some of our favorite scientists have contributed their memories of the toys they loved most. CD-ROMs Books Scientists At Play
Man-and-woman-kind has had more than 7,000 years, give or take, to think up how best to mold materials at hand into forms that are truly fun. For this reason, new toys have only a meager chance of withstanding the test of time, not to mention Discover magazine’s editorial staff. Which makes it hard to find a good toy that isn’t already commonplace.
Some toys are interesting, however, precisely because they have changed hardly at all in a very long time. There is no better example of such a toy than the lowly ball. It was probably invented during a food fight in the berry patch or an early game of toss the rock. Now we have every kind of ball imaginable, from the perfectly balanced girth of the bowling ball to the rough-surfaced, air-baffling baseball, to the professionally exacting balls that jugglers use. In recent years scientists have gained unprecedented control over ordinary matter. They have learned how to remake familiar materials almost atom by atom, endowing them with extraordinary properties. In a few years they may be making machines the size of molecules and computers so small they behave according to the strange laws of quantum mechanics. When it comes to balls, however, all this progress amounts to very little.
