November 22, 1997
News of the Week:
Dental Sealant Safety Reconsidered
A test-tube study suggests little reason for concern over hormone-mimicking materials leaching from dental sealants. Nathanson, D., et al. 1997. In vitro elution of leachable components from dental sealants. Journal of the American Dental Association 128(November):1517. Olea, N., et al. 1996. Estrogenicity of resin-based composites and sealants used in dentistry. Environmental Health Perspectives 104(March):298. Raloff, J. 1997. A pollutant that can alter growth. Science News 152(Oct. 18):255. ______. 1996. Estrogenic agents leach from dental sealant. Science News 149(April 6):214. ______. 1993. Ecocancers. Science News 144(July 3):10.
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Material may help batteries hold a recharge
The use of amorphous manganese oxyiodide as a cathode may solve a variety of problems that plague rechargeable batteries. Kim, J., and A. Manthiram. 1997. A manganese oxyiodide cathode for rechargeable lithium batteries. Nature 390(Nov. 20):265.
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Muscle-bound cattle reveal meaty mutation
Mutations in the gene encoding a protein called myostatin produce cattle and mice with abnormally large muscles. Grobet, L. . . . M. Georges. 1997. A deletion in the bovine myostatin gene causes the double-muscled phenotype in cattle. Nature Genetics 17(September):71. Kambadur, R. . . . T.P.L. Smith, and J.J. Bass. 1997. Mutations in myostatin (GDF8) in double-muscled Belgian Blue and Piedmontese cattle. Genome Research 7(September):910. McPherron, A.C., and S. Lee. 1997. Double muscling in cattle due to mutations in the myostatin gene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 94(November):12457. McKnight, S.L. 1997. Gatekeepers of organ growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 94(November):12249. McPherron, A.C., A.M. Lawler, and S. Lee. 1997. Regulation of skeletal muscle mass in mice by a new TGF-beta superfamily member. Nature 387(May 1):83. Slack, J.M.W. 1997. Growth control: Action mouse. Current Biology 7:R467. Westhusin, M. 1997. From mighty mice to mighty cows. Nature Genetics 17(September):4.
Unusual fish threat afloat in the Atlantic
The Atlantic waters of Georges Bank are thick with floating, gelatinous organisms that normally live anchored to rocks but may be competing with or even preying on fish larvae. Madin, L.P., et al. Voracious planktonic hydroids: Unexpected predatory impact on a coastal marine ecosystem. Deep-Sea Research II 43:1823. Raloff, J. 1996. Fishing for answers. Science News 150(Oct. 26):268.
Namibian fossils reveal ancient oddities
An organism shaped like a miniature revolving door raises questions about life a half-billion years ago. Narbonne, G.M., B.Z. Saylor, and J.P. Grotzinger. 1997. The youngest Ediacaran fossils from Southern Africa. Journal of Paleontology 71(November):953. Monastersky, R. 1997. Ancient animal sheds false identity. Science News 152(Aug. 30):132.
Birds may find way with cognitive map
A bird known as Clark's nutcracker can learn to navigate according to the geometric relationship between pairs of landmarks to find seed-storage sites, suggesting that it uses mental representations of its surroundings. Kamil, A.C., and J.E. Jones. 1997. The seed-storing corvid Clark's nutcracker learns geometric relationships among landmarks.
Protein shells out guidance to crystals
A specially synthesized protein that controls the growth of calcite could help researchers understand how mollusks make their shells. DeOliveira, D.B., and R.A. Laursen. 1997. Control of calcite crystal morphology by a peptide designed to bind to a specific surface. Journal of the American Chemical Society 119(Nov. 5):10627. Morse, D.E., et al. 1997. Interfacial control mechanisms in biomineralization. Meeting of the Materials Research Society. San Francisco. Wu, C. 1997. Evolutionary origins of fish antifreeze. Science News 151(April 19):237. ______. 1997. Organic molecules guide crystal growth. Science News 151(April 12):228.
An agreement between Congress and the White House allows the Census Bureau to test the use of statistical sampling to supplement a traditional enumeration while an expedited judicial review tackles the constitutionality of that approach. 1997. The 2000 census: What's sampling all about? National Press Foundation press briefing. Washington, D.C. Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives. 1996. Sampling and statistical adjustment in the decennial census: Fundamental flaws. Available at http://www.house.gov/reform/census.htm. Peterson, I. 1997. Sampling and the census. Science News 152(Oct. 11):238. U.S. Bureau of the Census. 1997. Report to Congress--The Plan for Census 2000 (July). Available at http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/index.html.
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Astronomy
Farewell to Pathfinder
After failing to hear from Mars Pathfinder for more than a month, NASA decided on Nov. 4 to discontinue daily attempts to contact the craft. 1997. Mars Pathfinder winds down after phenomenal mission. NASA press release.
New fire on Io
Jupiter's moon Io sports a new dark spot, 400 kilometers in diameter, surrounding the volcano Pillan Patera. 1997. Galileo finds Arizona-sized volcanic deposit on Io. NASA press release.
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From microscopes to skyscrapers, smart structures help control vibration Engineers are using computers and new classes of exotic materials to create objects that can sense their environment, process the information, then react appropriately. Post, N.M. 1997. Annoying floors: Help coming to keep floors from being too flexible for comfort. Engineering News-Record May 19:28. Further information is available at http://www.acx.com/home.html.
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The Dark Side of Immunizations?
A controversial hypothesis suggests that vaccines may abet diabetes, asthma Epidemiological studies hint at a possible link between vaccinations and immune system disruption. Classen, D.C., and J.B. Classen. 1997. The timing of pediatric immunization and the risk of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice Oct. 22:6. Kemp, T., et al. 1997. Is infant immunization a risk factor for childhood asthma or allergy? Epidemiology 8(November):678. Classen, J.B. 1996. The timing of immunization affects the development of diabetes in rodents. Autoimmunity 24:137. Shirakawa, T., et al. 1997. The inverse association between tuberculin responses and atopic disorder. Science 275(Jan. 3):77. Turner, R., et al. 1997. UKPDS 25: Autoantibodies to islet-cell cytoplasm and glutamic acid decarboxylase for prediction of insulin requirement in type 2 diabetes. Lancet 350(Nov. 1):1288.
The Power of Limited Thinking
Small-scale minds may pay nonrandom dividends The natural limitations of working memory may facilitate our ability to discern patterns that help us navigate social and physical worlds. Kareev, Y. 1995. Positive bias in the perception of covariation. Psychological Review 102(July):490. Kareev, Y., I. Lieberman, and M. Lev. 1997. Through a narrow window: Sample size and the perception of correlation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 126(September):278. Lopes, L.L. 1982. Doing the impossible: A note on induction and the experience of randomness. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 8:626. Redelmeier, D.A., and A. Tversky. 1996. On the belief that arthritis pain is related to the weather. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93(April 2):2895. Tversky, A., and D. Kahneman. 1971. Belief in the law of small numbers. Psychological Bulletin 2:105. Bower, B. 1997. Everybody's talkin'. Science News 151(May 3):276. ______. 1996. Rational mind designs. Science News 150(July 13):24. ______.1994. Roots of reason. Science News 145(Jan. 29):72. Kahneman, D., P. Slovic, and A. Tversky, eds. 1982. Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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Table of Contents - 11/22/97