SCIENCE NEWS ONLINE

Science in the Courts

April 18, 1998 | Volume 153 | Number 16

Cover: As courts increasingly face complex scientific issues, the juducial system is experimenting with ways to keep junk science out of the courtroom. (Photo illustration: Mark Gilvey, Design Imaging)

Features:spaceScience Safari

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News of the Week:

New Test Spots Cancer Cells in Blood 

A novel experimental technique detects cancer cells shed into the blood by a fledgling tumor.

 

Starting up quick quantum searches

Researchers for the first time experimentally demonstrated the operation of a simple quantum computer to perform an efficient search.

 

Tree trunks swell in synchrony with tides 

The diameter of a tree stem changes with the rhythm of the tides.

 

When lava and ice clashed on Mount Rainier 

Geologists have solved a decades-old puzzle about lava deposits on Mount Rainier.

 

Solar cell converts water into hydrogen 

A new device harnesses sunlight to produce hydrogen gas by electrochemically splitting water.

 

Climate change measure for the common folk 

Researchers have developed what they call a common-sense climate index to flag when people in a region would notice long-term changes in climate.

 

Internet access: A black-and-white issue 

Educational achievement and income do not by themselves explain why blacks use the Internet at a lower rate than whites.

 

Listening to faith as depression balm 

Deeply held religious faith hastens recovery from mild to moderate depression among elderly people.

 

Research Notes

Shifting ground at nuclear waste site 

The nation’s top choice for a nuclear waste repository is more geologically active than expected.

 

Ancient quake sliced crusader castle 

The walls of a castle in Israel display the scars of a quake from the year 1202.

 

Little shop of horrors for protozoa 

Researchers describe the first carnivorous plant known to prey on protozoa.

 

The first of the ultraviolet lovers 

Plumage differences that show up mainly at ultraviolet wavelengths visible to birds may account for why female blue tits are preferentially attracted to certain males.

 

Getting to the guts of a dinosaur 

Italian paleontologists have found fossilized intestinal remains and other soft tissue preserved inside a dinosaur.

 

On the line from dinosaurs to birds 

Newly found fossils of ancient birds provide important evidence of the transition from dinosaurs to birds.


Articles:

Courting Reliable Science
Judges seek to improve use of scientific experts in trials

As courts increasingly address science-related issues, judges are exploring ways to ensure that scientific testimony is reliable.

 

The Hydrogen Hypothesis
How did complex cells get their power stations?

The merger of two microbes may explain the origin of energy-generating structures in cells.




 

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