To Our Readers

Celebrating the Past and Predicting the Future

Fifty years ago this week, james Watson and Francis Crick solved the structure of DNA. To mark that momentous discovery, TIME last week convened a distinguished group of scientists, academics and business innovators for a conference in Monterey, Calif., called the Future of Life. Over three days of spirited debate, participants, including Watson, examined such issues as stem-cell research, cloning, biowarfare and nanotechnology. Near the end, Surgeon General Richard Carmona offered this piece of wisdom: "Science must take care not to leave the public behind."

Blix Speaks His Mind

In the diplomatic dance among the U.S., its allies and Iraq, one man stands right in the middle — United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix. So last Thursday, nine days before he was to deliver an update on his search for Iraqi weapons to the Security Council, a group of TIME writers and editors visited Blix at his U.N. office for an exclusive interview. Going beyond the customary diplomatic rhetoric, Blix spoke frankly about the Iraqis, saying "Of course, they have no credibility."