Radio Waves

Men accused of stealing 12 walkie-talkies, a stereo system, a telephone and two cellular telephones worth $2,500 from a Columbia nursery this week were arrested after authorities followed a trail of radio waves.Howard County police and a federal official followed the radio transmissions and arrested three men -- two of them brothers -- Tuesday afternoon and charged them with burglary.On Monday, Hans Metzler, who owns Metzler's Nursery at 10342 Owen Brown Road, reported the theft, which occurred between Sunday evening's closing and Monday morning's opening.

Gart Westerhout, an internationally known radio astronomer who established the astronomy department at the University of Maryland, College Park and was scientific director at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, died Sunday of congestive heart failure at the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville. He was 85. The son of an architect and a writer, he was born and raised in The Hague, Netherlands, where he also graduated from high school. Dr. Westerhout earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics and astronomy in 1950 from the University of Leiden, and earned his master's degree in the discipline in 1954.

Traditional treatments to lift sagging skin and smooth wrinkles have relied on surgery, lasers and chemical peels -- all of which require days or weeks of healing and, often, hiding. But dermatologists and other doctors who specialize in cosmetic or laser surgery say they are rapidly developing methods to beautify the body without so much as a needle or a knife. These procedures, loosely referred to as nonablative therapies (meaning no cutting is involved), are already making their way into the marketplace in major cities.

A prime piece of invisible real estate is going up for auction this week, and the winners of the $10 billion virtual land grab have the potential to shake up wireless communications in the United States. The property in question is a sizable swath of the country's radio spectrum that television broadcasters are returning to the government as they convert from analog to digital systems. The frequencies, known as the 700 megahertz spectrum, are ideal for wireless communications, and 214 bidders will vie for the rare opportunity to nab a piece of the coveted spectrum.

JODRELL BANK, ENGLAND -- The entrance to Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories is reached through narrow country lanes. By a small barrier more for show than purpose, a road sign announces "Quiet Radio Zone." There's little to suggest this is where Earth's first contact with extraterrestrial life might be made.The Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank, in the north of England, is on a mission to discover life elsewhere in the universe. Towering into the sky over fields of flowers, its 85-foot-diameter bowl dominates the rural countryside of Cheshire while it searches the skies for unexplained signals that could be messages from other civilizations.

Jesse L. Greenstein, 93, an astrophysicist known for his pioneering work on quasars and the evolution and composition of stars, died Monday in Pasadena, Calif., three days after falling and breaking his hip. By 16, he was attending Harvard, where he eventually earned a Ph.D. Dr. Greenstein came to the California Institute of Technology to organize a graduate astronomy program, which he headed from 1948 to 1972. In the 1950s, with partner Maarten Schmidt, he demonstrated that quasars, starlike objects that generate large amounts of light and radio waves, are relatively compact bodies.

In 1992, 11 million Americans subscribed to cellular phones. In January of this year, there was a widespread health scare about a possible link between brain cancer and cellular phone use.The connection between brain cancer and cellular phones has not been established, but because there were so many concerns, I wanted to talk with an expert. I turned to my colleague Patrick Breysse, Ph.D., associate director of the Center for VDT and Health Research, for more information.Q: What is the difference between the phone on my desk or in my home and the phone in my car?

Take it from the stargazer's mouth: "Contact" pretty much gets things right.The thrill of the hunt, the dedication, the basic scientific principles, the enormous odds researchers battle, looking for radio waves of extra-terrestrial origin -- all that's there, Hubble scientist David Soderblom says after seeing the film, which opened yesterday.Sure, not all radio astronomers look like Jodie Foster. Yeah, the computers don't normally look that good or work that fast. And the movie plays up scientific rivalries that are a little outdated.

VISITORS TO Markus Kuhn's laboratory arrive eager to be duped. And the Cambridge University computer scientist is happy to oblige. Ushering a guest into an neighboring room, Kuhn asks him to pull out his laptop computer, wait until he's gone, and then tap out a sentence or two. A few minutes later, Kuhn returns and tells his visitor exactly what he wrote. "It's usually quite impressive," he says. Kuhn is one of a handful of researchers probing a James Bondian borderland of computer science: a phenomenon known as "compromising emanations."

The police radio used to be the ultimate piece of squad-car technology, as dependable to a cop in a jam as the trusty black-and-white cruiser itself. But that was before office towers and parking structures started blocking radio waves. And before wireless phones with crystal clear reception increased expectations for two-way communication, while at the same time stealing frequencies from radio users. In this era of technological innovation, the crackling police radio is starting to show its age. Police and fire agencies across the country are using antiquated equipment developed in the 1950s and 1960s that has failed in major emergencies.

VISITORS TO Markus Kuhn's laboratory arrive eager to be duped. And the Cambridge University computer scientist is happy to oblige. Ushering a guest into an neighboring room, Kuhn asks him to pull out his laptop computer, wait until he's gone, and then tap out a sentence or two. A few minutes later, Kuhn returns and tells his visitor exactly what he wrote. "It's usually quite impressive," he says. Kuhn is one of a handful of researchers probing a James Bondian borderland of computer science: a phenomenon known as "compromising emanations."

Love chocolate? Hate being snubbed? Turned on by sexy pictures? Turned off by an ugly face? Scientists are making rapid strides in identifying where and how your brain handles such feelings, from the overwhelming flush of romantic love to the shivers a favorite piece of music sends down your spine. Brain researchers are using technologies that measure blood flow, electromagnetic radiation and other events going on in your head when you experience strong emotions. They believe their work can help deal with problems such as obesity, drug addiction, sex crimes and mental disease.

Traditional treatments to lift sagging skin and smooth wrinkles have relied on surgery, lasers and chemical peels -- all of which require days or weeks of healing and, often, hiding. But dermatologists and other doctors who specialize in cosmetic or laser surgery say they are rapidly developing methods to beautify the body without so much as a needle or a knife. These procedures, loosely referred to as nonablative therapies (meaning no cutting is involved), are already making their way into the marketplace in major cities.

Russell Berrie, 69, founder of the company that makes Russ gift and novelty products who used his wealth to advance health care and other causes, died Wednesday in Englewood, N.J. Mr. Berrie, the chief executive and chairman of Russ Berrie & Co. in Oakland, started the business in a rented garage in 1963 and made it one of the world's largest gift companies. With more than 1,500 employees worldwide and sales of $294.3 million last year, the company is known for its line of "Bears From the Past" and its soft, beanbag Luv Pets.

Mayor Martin O'Malley is scheduled to appear today on WBAL-AM in the first installment of a regular radio show. The show, to be aired every other Tuesday at 11 a.m., will allow listeners to call in with questions or comments for the mayor. News reader Bill Vanko will field the calls, but he is not the show's host, according to Mark S. Miller, news director for WBAL (1090 AM). "There will be no screening of callers," Miller promised. "These guys do have, for some folks, a mystique. This does give people some access to their leaders."

The police radio used to be the ultimate piece of squad-car technology, as dependable to a cop in a jam as the trusty black-and-white cruiser itself. But that was before office towers and parking structures started blocking radio waves. And before wireless phones with crystal clear reception increased expectations for two-way communication, while at the same time stealing frequencies from radio users. In this era of technological innovation, the crackling police radio is starting to show its age. Police and fire agencies across the country are using antiquated equipment developed in the 1950s and 1960s that has failed in major emergencies.

While some cellular phone towers are disguised as evergreens, palm trees or flagpoles, St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church near Towson is considering putting up a bell tower to hide a proposed 100-footer.The church -- which stands to gain thousands of dollars in rental income for allowing the tower to be built on its property -- hopes the camouflage will appeal to neighbors.So far, residents of the nearby Rodgers Forge community aren't convinced by the plan."We haven't seen an artist's rendering," said Rich DeNardi, who lives in the 200 block of Overbrook Road next to the church.

The first squalls of a geomagnetic storm described as "severe" by space weather forecasters swept past Earth yesterday. The 1.6-million-mph impact by the cloud of ionized gas and electromagnetic energy rattled electric power grids in the Northeast, and at least one commercial satellite briefly lost its bearings. "On a scale from zero to nine, we've moved into the sevens - severe levels," said David M. Speich, a space scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center -the space equivalent of the National Hurricane Center.