Warmth After Surgery Can Save Lives

Warming patients after surgery reduces their risk of cardiac complications by 55 percent.

Viruses may leave a weighty legacy

A virus, which induces coldlike symptoms, causes excessive weight gain in animals and may do the same in people.

Astronomers find new member of Local Group

A newly discovered galaxy in the outskirts of our Local Group may provide clues about the formation of dwarf galaxies and refine estimates of the age of the universe.

Solar cells may sub for retinal receptors

Researchers are developing an eye implant based on a solar cell to help restore partial vision to people suffering from a degenerative disease of the retina.

Early humans make their marks as hunters

Microscopic analysis of animal bones unearthed in a South African cave indicates that humans living in that area around 100,000 years ago were active hunters.

Showy comet lives up to its billing

Studies of Hale-Bopp provide new information about the chemical contents of comets.

Cell death protein triggers diabetes

Diabetes may result when immune cells cause insulin-producing cells to make a protein called Fas and commit suicide.

Insect-borne disease: Curing the carrier

The protozoan parasite responsible for Chagas' disease can be quelled by a genetically engineered version of a bacterium that lives in symbiosis with the parasite-transmitting insect.

Superfluid gyro detects Earth's spin

Two groups of researchers have exploited the peculiar quantum properties of superfluid helium to build novel gyroscopes that can be used to measure Earth's rotation rate.

Research Notes:

Ethnobiology

What's in a name? Sound symbolism . . .

English speakers can readily distinguish between the South American Indian words for tapir and squirrel, possibly because of the images evoked by the sounds of the words.

. . . or natural world symbolism?

In forager societies, personal names seem to be unique and frequently drawn from the natural world, in contrast to the English language, where personal names are often recycled and less than 5 percent are derived from the natural or biological world.

Faunal fashion of early floor patterns

The artisans who created the whimsical animal images in floor mosaics at a public building in a late Roman settlement probably got their inspiration from pattern books rather than from nature.

Chemistry

Carbon ribbons go to greater lengths

A new method produces thin ribbons of graphite, which may one day be used for molecular wires or nanoscale electronic components.

New element monikers laid on the table

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry released a new slate of proposed names for the heavy elements numbered 104 to 109.

Materials Science

More bang for the solar cell buck

Solar cells made of amorphous silicon have set a new record for efficiency, converting 13 percent of the light energy they absorb into electricity.

Metal moves from helicopters to bikes

Beryllium-aluminum alloys, once reserved for aerospace applications, are now being used for consumer products.

Organic molecules guide crystal growth

Abalones use proteins to orchestrate the growth of their pearly, calcium carbonate shells.

Articles:

Gazing into Crystal Balls

Colloids help scientists understand how materials melt

Colloidal particles can aggregate into crystals, providing a model system for studying the interactions between atoms in a material.

Why Do Women Menstruate?

Scientists seek a reason for this feminine phenomenon

A vigorous debate has arisen over why menstruation evolved, with a new study suggesting it's an energy-saving mechanism.

Departments:

Our Weekly Listing of New Publications

Letters:

A Selection from Letters to the Editor

Further Readings People to Contact