Roald Hoffmann

In science, sometimes getting there first is as important as breathing itself. As with many scientific endeavors, though, this statement may be open to dispute. Some scientists would say getting there first enjoys priority over breathing. Science and air, sometimes hot, are integral ingredients of "Oxygen," a new play enjoying its world premiere at the San Diego Repertory Theatre starting April 2.

In science, sometimes getting there first is as important as breathing itself. As with many scientific endeavors, though, this statement may be open to dispute. Some scientists would say getting there first enjoys priority over breathing. Science and air, sometimes hot, are integral ingredients of "Oxygen," a new play enjoying its world premiere at the San Diego Repertory Theatre starting April 2.

An artist friend says the most pernicious disease afflicting humankind is "hardening of the categories," that seemingly irresistible urge to put things in their proper places and draw clear lines between science and art, natural and unnatural, matter and spirit.

An artist friend says the most pernicious disease afflicting humankind is "hardening of the categories," that seemingly irresistible urge to put things in their proper places and draw clear lines between science and art, natural and unnatural, matter and spirit.

* "Hay Fever," Noel Coward's 1925 comedy of very bad manners, plays April 6 through May 24 at A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, $16-$40. (323) 953-7795. * "Oxygen," the world premiere of a play by scientists Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann, plays Monday through April 7 at San Diego Repertory's Lyceum Stage, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. $22-$38. (619) 544-1000. * The Paul Taylor Dance Company performs different programs of one-act works April 6 and 7 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N.

Movies Imax goes backstage, onstage and up close in "All Access." The footage shot at mega-concerts around the country features Carlos Santana, Sting, Moby, George Clinton, Kid Rock and others. Opens Friday at Universal City Imax. * "Texas Rangers" stars Dylan McDermott as the leader of a group of rangers battling a renegade outlaw (Alfred Molina) and his gang in 1875 Texas.

What's art got to do with it? A lot more than people generally think. To educators fighting over school budgets, art and music frequently are viewed as frills that drain funds from more serious subjects like math and science. But scientists and mathematicians know different. In fact, they often rely on aesthetics to guide their research, filter their perceptions and help them visualize patterns in the sometimes impenetrable chaos of data.

In theater as in chemistry, having the correct mix is crucial. So the two noted scientist-writers of "Oxygen" need to take their concoction back to their beakers and Bunsen burners to add more drama. "Oxygen" is getting its world debut for a week on the San Diego Rep's Lyceum Stage, concurrent with a downtown convention of the American Chemical Society. It's great programming for the select audience.

President Reagan presented National Medals of Science to 19 winners, including eight Californians, on Wednesday, telling them that they have made "an outstanding contribution to our way of life and our future." At an East Room ceremony, Reagan said, "There's no nation on Earth that can match our scientific capability, our standard of living and our national security. The medals went to: -Howard L. Bachrach, retired from the Agriculture Department at Plum Island, N.Y.

It's a question as old as Plato: Do scientists discover laws of nature, or create them? Did Einstein discover relativity, or did he think it up? Do mathematicians invent theorems and proofs, or are these truths out there waiting to be discovered? Do chemists find new molecules, or forge them? Sometimes, the answer is obvious. Astronomers didn't create the stars, and physicists didn't invent gravity. Something out there shines; objects fall.

In Trivial Pursuit, a question in the science category asks: How many colors are there in the spectrum? This is the kind of question that can drive a science buff right up the wall. After all, a spectrum is, well, a spectrum--meaning a continuous range. Anyone who has ever looked at a rainbow knows there is no line demarcating where the red ends and the orange begins. Some cultures even clump blue and green into one color. In ancient Greece, there was no word for green.

A woman I know was told by three different doctors that the large irregular blob on her mammogram was serious cause for concern. From the looks of it, all three said, it appeared to be a malignant tumor. But as any scientist can tell you, "from the looks of it" is a phrase that's fraught with peril. Happily, a fourth doctor--more experienced in reading mammograms--decided to take some more pictures from different angles, and lo and behold, the tumor was only an illusion.