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El Niņo FeverOctober 25, 1997 | Volume 152 | Number 17 Cover: Abnormally warm waters, known as El Niņo, have spread across much of the equatorial Pacific Ocean this summer, heralding unusual weather around the world. In this image, taken by the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite, El Niņo shows up as the long, white blob, which depicts warm water sitting 14 to 32 centimeters higher than the normal sea level. (image: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory) |
Features:
TimeLine
Food for Thought
Population Diversity Crowds the Ark
The first look at the number of populations contained within the world's species adds a new dimension to biodiversity and what's at risk when its lost.
High cholesterol may benefit elderly
Among persons in their late 80s and 90s, elevated blood cholesterol can translate into lengthened lifespan.
Kids with schizophrenia yield brain clues Brain scans of teenagers who developed schizophrenia during childhood indicated that a progressive disturbance of neural development underlies this severe mental disorder.
A prototype virtual-reality system allows a researcher to experiment with and modify neural-network software visualized as three-dimensional shapes.
Antarctic ozone hole expands in altitude This month, ozone destruction over the Antarctic reached new heights.
Enzyme mechanics win chemistry Nobel Three researchers share the 1997 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on enzymes.
High-dose rotavirus vaccine protects kids A vaccine against rotavirus, a sometimes fatal diarrheal disease, has proved effective in a test of more than 2,000 children in Venezuela.
Laser cooling yields Nobel in physics Three researchers were awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for developing methods of using laser light to chill gases to within a few millionths of a degree of absolute zero.
Research Notes:
Astronomy
Martian pebbles tell watery tale Pebbles embedded in Martian rocks provide further evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet.
Comet Hale-Bopp: Alive and spewing Spectra from Comet Hale-Bopp, as it retreats from the sun, reveal the comet most likely formed in the chilly, outer reaches of the solar system.
Behavior
Minor problem for antitobacco laws Laws banning tobacco sales to minors fail to reduce teenagers' access to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, according to research in six Massachusetts communities.
Losing patience with patients Patients perceived as particularly frustrating by physicians tend to have many vague physical symptoms, feelings of helplessness regarding their problems, and a history of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Chemistry
Understanding how proteins fold A recent study looks at the role hydrogen bonding plays in protein folding, and another provides a way to design proteins with a chosen shape.
Fuel chemistry advance wins prize The 1997 Charles Draper Prize, engineering's highest honor, was awarded to Vladimir Haensel for his 1947 invention of platinum catalysts used in making high-octane gasoline.
Articles:
New programs aim to cut the juice drawn by leaky appliances Increasingly, U.S. electronic appliances draw power even when they're ostensibly off.
Spying on El Niņo The struggle to predict the Pacific prankster Forecasters are developing models to explore the Pacific warming.
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