MOLECULAR INDIVIDUALISM, the idea that physically identical molecules can behave differently under seemingly identical conditions, has been observed by a Stanford group (Steven Chu, 415-723-3571). Inside a microscopic fluid cell, coiled DNA strands experiencing the same flow currents unravel in a host of radically different ways--sometimes forming kinks in the middle, others forming knots at one or both ends, and others getting caught up in a folded shape as they try to unfold. Speaking at the AAAS meeting, Chu attributes this (non-chaotic) phenomenon to tiny fluctuations in the starting conditions--such as a small temperature change in the fluid cell. (Stanford news release, February 11, 1998.)