Serious Science Stuff On Stamps

The Postal Service turned its attention to science Wednesday, issuing four new stamps honoring pioneering American scientists.

"Critics say there's an awful lot of fluff on U.S. stamps, but sometimes the Postal Service sneaks in serious subjects," reports CBSNews.com's Lloyd de Vries.

Featured on the 37-cent stamps are:

• Josiah Willard Gibbs, who lived from 1839 to 1903, was a pioneer in the study of vector analysis, electromagnetic theory, statistical analysis and thermodynamics.
• Barbara McClintock won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine for her discoveries in genetics. She was among the first scientists to study the way genetic material controls the development of an organism.
• John von Neumann was one of the top mathematicians of the 20th Century. He helped develop a machine that became a model for modern computers, worked with Albert Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study and was a consultant in the project to build the first atomic bomb.
• Richard P. Feynman won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1965 for work in quantum electrodynamics. His work included diagrams that help visualize the dynamics of atomic particles.

First day of issue ceremonies were being held at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., with the 37-cent stamps going on sale nationwide on Thursday. Gibbs received the nation's first doctorate in engineering at Yale, where he also taught.