November 15, 1997
News of the Week:
Einstein's General Relativity: It's a Drag
Observations of X rays emitted by gas circulating around neutron stars and suspected black holes suggest that spinning bodies drag space-time along with them. 1997. First observation of space-time distortion by black holes. American Astronomical Society press release. 1997. Evidence found that spinning black holes drag space-time, just as Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts. American Astronomical Society press release. 1995. Thumbs partly up for Gravity Probe B. Science News 147(June 10):367.
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Wheat's DNA points to first farms
An ancient form of wheat was apparently domesticated from wild variants growing in the mountains of southeast Turkey. Diamond, J. 1997. Location, location, location: The first farmers. Science 278(Nov. 14):1243. Heun, M. . . . F. Salamini. 1997. Site of einkorn wheat domestication identified by DNA fingerprinting. Science 278(Nov. 14):1312. Bower, B. 1997. Seeds of agriculture in the Americas. Science News 151(May 24):322. Mlot, C. 1997. Stalking the ancient dog. Science News 151(June 28):400.
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Whipping up a metallic frappe
Using only a kitchen blender and a laser, researchers have developed a quick, inexpensive, clean method of producing ultrafine powders. New ultrafine metal powder production process. 1997. Pennsylvania State University press release. Subramanian, R. . . . J. Singh, et al. In press. A novel technique in synthesis of silver nanoparticles by laser-liquid interaction. Journal of Materials Science.
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U.S. survey explores relationship styles
Adult attachment patterns take root during childhood and exert a powerful impact on personality and social development. Mickelson, K.D., R.C. Kessler, and P.R. Shaver. 1997. Adult attachment in a nationally representative sample. Personality and Social Psychology 73(November):1092. Bower, B. 1997. The ties that bond. Science News 152(Aug. 9):94.
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Prize offered for solving number conundrum
A proof of a conjecture related to Fermat's last theorem would earn $50,000. Mauldin, R.D. 1997. A generalization of Fermat's last theorem: The Beal conjecture and prize problem. Notices of the American Mathematical Society 44(December):1436. Goldfeld, D. 1996. Beyond the Last Theorem. Math Horizons September:26. Guy, R.K. 1994. Unsolved Problems in Number Theory. New York: Springer-Verlag. Peterson, I. 1995. Fermat's famous theorem: Proved at last? Science News 146(Nov. 5):295. Wiles, A. 1995. Modular elliptic curves and Fermat's Last Theorem. Annals of Mathematics 141:443. Additional information about the Beal conjecture and prize can be obtained from R. Daniel Mauldin of the University of North Texas in Denton: mauldin@dynamics.math.unt.edu.
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Holey device traps light for lasers, filters
A photonic crystal that captures and amplifies infrared light may lead to improved optical devices. Foresi, J.S., P.R. Villeneuve, et al. 1997. Photonic-band gap microcavities in optical waveguides. Nature 390(Nov. 13):143. Peterson, I. 1997. Fine lines for chips. Science News 152(Nov. 8):302. ______. 1993. A novel architecture for excluding photons. Science News 144(Sept. 25):199. ______. 1992. Drilling into the infrared. Science News 141(March 28):206. ______. 1991. Drilling holes to keep photons in the dark. Science News 140(Nov. 2):277. ______. 1990. Shining a bright light on quantum darkness. Science News 138(Sept. 29):196. Rigby, P., and T.F. Krauss. 1997. The Vs and Qs of optical microcavities. Nature 390(Nov. 13):125. Wu, C. 1996. Light gets the bends in a photonic crystal. Science News 150(Nov. 16):309. Additional information is available at http://www.ee.ucla.edu/labs/photon.
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Biologists peck at bird-dinosaur link
Differences in the breathing mechanisms and hand structures of birds and dinosaurs argue against the idea that dinosaurs sired birds. Burke, A.C., and A. Feduccia. 1997. Developmental patterns and the identification of homologies in the avian hand. Science 278(Oct. 24):666. Ruben, J.A., et al. 1997. Lung structure and ventilation in theropod dinosaurs and early birds. Science 278(Nov. 14):1267.
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Two genes help an embryo pick sides
Scientists have identified genes that help the human body establish a left-right axis for proper placement of its internal organs. Gebbia, M. . . . B. Casey. 1997. X-linked situs abnormalities result from mutations in ZIC3. Nature Genetics 17(November):305. Srivastava, D. 1997. Left, right . . . which way to turn? Nature Genetics 17(November):252. Supp, D.M. . . . M. Brueckner. 1997. Mutation of an axonemal dynein affects left-right asymmetry in inversus viscerum mice. Nature 389(Oct. 30):983.
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Research Notes:
Behavior
Mysterious thoughts about phobias
People who have phobias about driving alone or being in enclosed spaces rarely express fears of impending danger when placed in those situations. Williams, S.L., et al. 1997. Thoughts of agoraphobic people during scary tasks. Abnormal Psychology 106(November):511.
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Lighting up anxiety
Cigarette smoking may increase anxiety, which then declines in the weeks after giving up nicotine. West, R., and P. Hajek. 1997. What happens to anxiety levels on giving up smoking? American Journal of Psychiatry 154(November):1589.
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Biology
Peering into the developing brain
Investigators have obtained the first images of language-related activity in a child's brain. Hirsch, J., et al. 1997. fMRI reveals a developing language system in a 15-month old sedated infant. Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. New Orleans.
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A role for the prion's better half
The harmless protein PrP, which could be responsible for mad cow disease when converted into a prion, may bind to copper. Brown, D.R. 1997. Role of prion protein in copper binding and resistance to oxidative stress. Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. New Orleans.
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Tuning in to a tasty meal
The long snout of the paddlefish may serve as an antenna that detects the electric signals of the animal's prey. Pei, X., et al. 1997. The characteristics of electrosensitive cells in the paddlefish Polyodon spathula. Annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. New Orleans.
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Chemistry
Biosensors respond with colored light
Two new sensors change colors in the presence of chemical substances. Holtz, J.H., and S.A. Asher. Polymerized colloidal crystal hydrogel films as intelligent chemical sensing materials. Nature 389(Oct. 23):829. Lin, V.S.-Y. . . . M.J. Sailor, and M.R. Ghadiri. A porous silicon-based optical interferometric biosensor. Science 278(Oct. 31):340. Additional information can be found at http://chefs1.ucsd.edu/Faculty/sailor/research.html.
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Single enzymes twist and twitch over time
Researchers track the behavior of individual enzyme molecules by trapping them in tiny reaction vials. Tan, W., and E.S. Yeung. 1997. Monitoring the reactions of single enzyme molecules and single metal ions. Analytical Chemistry 69(Oct. 15):4242.
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Biomedicine
Antidepressants help smokers to quit
Smokers who got an antidepressant drug for 7 weeks had greater success in quitting than those who went "cold turkey." Hurt, R.D., et al. 1997. A comparison of sustained-release bupropion and placebo for smoking cessation. New England Journal of Medicine 337(Oct. 23):1195. Ferry, L.H., and R.J. Burchette. 1994. Efficacy of bupropion for smoking cessation in non-depressed smokers. Journal of Addictive Diseases 13:249. Glassman, A.H., et al. 1990. Smoking, smoking cessation, and major depression. Journal of the American Medical Association 264:1546.
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Salmonella plays the good-guy role
The Salmonella bacterium, when properly modified, attacks melanoma tumors in mice. Pawelek, J.M., K.B. Low, and D. Bermudes. Tumor-targeted Salmonella as a novel anticancer vector. Cancer Research 57(Oct. 15):4537. Barinaga, M. 1996. A shared strategy for virulence. Science 272:1261. Fox, M.E., et al. 1996. Anaerobic bacteria as a delivery system for cancer gene therapy: in vitro activation of 5-fluorocytosine by genetically engineered clostridia. Gene Therapy 3:173. Jain, R.K. 1994. Barriers to drug delivery in solid tumors. Scientific American 271:58.
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Earth Science
Caribbean blasts sparked global warmth
Massive eruptions 55 million years ago may have warmed Earth. Bralower, T.J., et al. 1997. High-resolution records of the late Paleocene thermal maximum and circum-Caribbean volcanism: Is there a causal link? Geology 25(November):963. Monastersky, R. 1997. Could gas blast have warmed globe? Science News 151(March 22):181.
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Fossil embryos reveal early animals
Paleontologists have found the oldest known embryos. Bengtson, S., and Y. Zhao. 1997. Fossilized Metazoan embryos from the earliest Cambrian. Science 277(Sept. 12):1645.
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Articles:
A focus on adaptive optics improves images of the eye and boosts vision
Technology originally developed for military surveillance has produced high-resolution pictures of the eye's retina. Liang, J., D.R. Williams, and D.T. Miller. 1997. Supernormal vision and high-resolution retinal imaging through adaptive optics. Journal of the Optical Society of America 14(November). Williams, D.R., et al. 1997. Toward supernormal vision. Science Writers' Seminar in Ophthalmology sponsored by Research to Prevent Blindness. Los Angeles, California. Applegate, R.A., and H.C. Howland. 1997. Refractive surgery, optical aberrations, and visual performance. Journal of Refractive Surgery 13(May/June):295. ______. 1995. Noninvasive measurement of corneal topography. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology January-February:30. Cowen, R. 1991. 'Star Wars' generates sharper stellar images. Science News 139(June 8):358. Hardy, J.W. 1994. Adaptive optics. Scientific American June:60. Lipkin, R. 1994. A keen view of vision: Seeing cone cells. Science News 146(Oct. 8):231. Peterson, I. 1994. Guiding light. Science News 146(July 23):56. ______. 1990 A window on turbulence. Science News 138(Nov. 24):335. Snyder, A.W., T.R.J. Bossomaier, and A. Hughes. 1986. Optical image quality and the cone mosaic. Science 231(Jan. 31):499. Walsh, G., W.N. Charman, and H.C. Howland. 1984. Objective technique for the determination of monochromatic aberrations of the human eye. Journal of the Optical Society of America 1(September):987. Additional information can be found at http://www.cvs.rochester.edu/people/d_williams/d_williams.html, http://www.bcs.rochester.edu/bcs/research/williams_lab.html, and http://www.cogstad.cornell.edu/faculty/howland.html.
Outbound Traffic
Scientists identify proteins that move stuff out of the nucleus Specialized molecules escort RNA and various proteins out of a cell nucleus. Fornerod, M. . . . I.W. Mattaj. 1997. CRM1 is an export receptor for leucine-rich nuclear export signals. Cell 90(Sept. 19):1051. Kutay, U. . . . D. Gorlich. 1997. Export of importin alpha from the nucleus is mediated by a specific nuclear transport factor. Cell 90(Sept. 19):1061. Neville, M. . . . M. Rosbash. 1997. The importin-beta family member Crm1p bridges the interaction between Rev and the nuclear pore complex during nuclear export. Current Biology October:767. Ossareh-Nazari, B., F. Bachelerie, and C. Dargemont. Evidence for a role of CRM1 in signal-mediated nuclear protein export. Science 278(Oct. 3):141. Stade, K. . . . K. Weis. 1997. Exportin 1 (Crm1p) is an essential nuclear export factor. Cell 90(Sept. 19):1041. Ullman, K.S., M.A. Powers, and D.J. Forbes. 1997. Nuclear export receptors: From importin to exportin. Cell 90(Sept. 19):967.
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Table of Contents - 11/15/97