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A Rare Breed IndeedOctober 4, 1997 | Volume 152 | Number 14 Cover: George Washington was one of the farmers who raised Leicester Longwool sheep, like the one shown here. Once prized for its blanket-quality fleece, this breed today is endangered globally. Some 5 percent of livestock breeds go extinct annually -- eliminating genes for traits that might have proved useful to farmers. In hopes of slowing this drain on biological diversity, several institutions are working to preserve today's rare breeds. (Photo: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation) |
Features:
TimeLine
Food for Thought
Mad Cow Disease, Human Illness Tied
Two studies solidify the connection between mad cow disease and a recent variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.
Satellite views Earth's living plumage
A new satellite monitors life in the oceans and on land.
U.S. paper money tends to grab cocaine crystals and cage them beneath the bill's surface. Feds tackle toxic cell
The fish-killing micoorganism Pfiesteria gets its first hearing on Capitol Hill. Atoms bounce back to form frigid cloud
A new type of atomic trap cools cesium atoms to 3 microkelvins and confines them to a thin cloud. Deadly bacteria pop up in fruit flies
A bacteria that normally affects the reproduction of insects also comes in a form that destroys the adult fruit fly brain. Only five amino acids out of the standard 20 are needed to form much of a properly shaped protein, indicating that the rules for protein folding are simpler than one would think. Variety reigns in ancient hominid's skull
New fossil finds of Australopithecus boisei in Africa indicate that ancient hominid species encompassed considerable anatomical variation, a phenomenon that challenges current attempts to distinguish species among hominid fossils based on subtle skeletal differences. Hubble sizes up a lone neutron star
Astronomers have for the first time observed the visible-light emission from a solitary, quiescent neutron star and are estimating its size, which constrains models of its formation.
Why greenbacks make good 'drug money'
An alphabet for a letter-perfect protein
Research Notes:
Biology
Hidden virus suspected in diabetes
Some cases of type 1 diabetes may result from the activation of genes that a virus inserted into a human chromosome. A flowery toxin reveals its petals
Electron microscopy produces pictures of the bacterial toxin responsible for ulcers and shows how acid conditions alter it. Biomedicine Smoke hurts kids' cholesterol status
Children at high risk of heart disease who live with a smoker have low concentrations of the protective cholesterol, HDL. Anti-inflammatory drugs overprescribed
A Canadian study finds that doctors recommend anti-inflammatory drugs when they are unnecessary and may cause problems. Behavior When mountains deceive
The Hawaiian island of Kauai harbors at least two volcanoes rather than a single one. Faster track for ozone layer protection
Representatives from more than 100 governments met in Montreal last month and agreed to tighten restrictions on several chemicals harmful to the ozone layer.
Articles:
Livestock are developing a largely unrecognized biodiversity crisis.
Some 5 percent of the world's domesticated breeds are dying off annually--taking with them potentially valuable traits.
Here’s a gallery of other heritage livestock breeds whose numbers are perilously low.
The Big Chill
Does dust drive Earth's ice ages? A new theory of the ice ages sparks a heated debate.
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