In Menachem's Seed , Carl Djerassi , world-renowned scientist and inventor of the birth-control pill, brings us a new novel that explores the human--and passionate--side of science. Melanie Laidlaw and Menachem Dvir meet at a series of international conferences where jet-setting scientists come together to discuss the global implications of their discoveries. Melanie runs a foundation that awards grants for innovations in reproductive technology; Menachem is an infertile nuclear engineer and a married man. Naturally, they fall in love. What follows is a story of sexual steam, stolen seed, and religious conversion--a very modern romance that hinges on a cutting-edge scientific breakthrough. As Melanie and Menachem discover, what science makes possible, only two hearts can make right.

Lax and Nirenberg are two of the most distinguished mathematicians of our times. Their work on partial differential equations (PDEs) over the last half-century has dramatically advanced the subject and has profoundly influenced the course of mathematics. A huge part of the development in PDEs during this period has either been through their work, motivated by it or achieved by their postdocs and students. A large number of mathematicians honored these two exceptional scientists in a week-long conference in Venice (June 1996) on the occasion of their 70th birthdays. This volume contains the proceedings of the conference, which focused on the modern theory of nonlinear PDEs and their applications. Among the topics treated are turbulence, kinetic models of a rarefied gas, vortex filaments, dispersive waves, singular limits and blow-up of solutions, conservation laws, Hamiltonian systems, and others.The conference served as a forum for the dissemination of new scientific ideas and discoveries and enhanced scientific communication by bringing together such a large number of scientists working in related fields. The event allowed the international mathematics community to honor two of its outstanding members.