The greatest mass extinction in Earth’s history happened far quicker than scientists had once thought.

References:  

Bowring, S.A., D.H. Erwin, et al. 1998. U/Pb zircon geochronology and tempo of the End-Permian mass extinction. Science 280(May 15):1039.

Further Readings: 

Monastersky, R. 1997. Life’s closest call. Science News 151(Feb. 1):74.

A statistical analysis of more than 3,000 recordings of California woodpeckers dashes the long-debated idea that each species has unique drumming.

References:  

Stark, R.D., D.J. Dodenhoff, and E.V. Johnson. 1998. A quantitative analysis of woodpecker drumming. Condor 100(May):350.

Further Readings: 

Kroodsma, D., and E. Miller, 1982. Acoustic Communication in Birds. New York:Academic Press.

Discharged psychiatric patients who do not abuse alcohol or illicit drugs commit violent acts at the same rate as a random selection of their neighbors in urban communities.

References:  

Link, B.G., and A. Stueve. In press. New evidence on the violence risk posed by people with mental illness. Archives of General Psychiatry.

Steadman, H.J., E.P. Mulvey, J. Monahan, et al. In press. Violence by people discharged from acute psychiatric inpatient facilities and by others in the same neighborhoods. Archives of General Psychiatry.

Further Readings: 

Bower, B. 1995. Law and disorders. Science News 147(Jan. 7):8.

High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and other combustion pollutants may contribute to late-term miscarriages.

References:  

Pereira, L.A.A., D. Loomis, et al. 1998. Association between air pollution and intrauterine mortality in São Paulo, Brazil. Environmental Health Perspectives 106(June):325.

Further Readings: 

Raloff, J. 1997. Climate protection saves lives now. Science News 152(Nov. 8):292.

______. 1997. Clinton accepts new clean air proposals. Science News 152(July 5):6.

_____. 1995. Outdoor carbon monoxide: Risk to millions. Science News 148(Oct. 14):247.

______. 1995. Heart-y risks from breathing fine dust. Science News 148(July 1):5.

______. 1994. Are indoor gases sickening microcircuits? Science News 146(Nov. 19):327.

______. 1991. Dust to dust: A particularly lethal legacy. Science News 139(April 6):212.

Two studies indicate that genetic variations in a region of the ACE gene may signal men who are at increased risk of high blood pressure.

References:  

Fornage, M. . . .E. Boerwinkle. 1998. Variation in the region of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene influences interindividual differences in blood pressure levels in young white males. Circulation 97(May 12):1773.

O’Donnell, C.J., et al. 1998. Evidence for association and genetic linkage of the angiotensin-converting enzyme locus with hypertension and blood pressure in men but not women in the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation 97(May 12):1766.

Further Readings: 

Caulfield, M., et al. 1994. Linkage of the angiotensinogen gene to essential hypertension. New England Journal of Medicine 330(June 9):1629.

Fackelmann, K.A. 1994. Teams hunt for vascular and heart genes. Science News 145(June 11):374.

Goodfriend, T.L., M.E. Elliott, and K.J. Catt. 1996. Angiotensin receptors and their antagonists. New England Journal of Medicine 334(June 20):1649.

Lipkin, R. 1993. ACE inhibitor protects diabetics' kidneys. Science News 144(Nov. 13):311.

Soubrier, F. 1998. Blood pressure gene at the angiotensin I-converting enzyme locus. Circulation 97(May 12):1763.

Tiret, L. . . . F. Soubrier, et al. 1994. Synergistic effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin-II type 1 receptor gene polymorphisms on risk of myocardial infarction. Lancet 344(Oct. 1):910.

A novel process for making porous silicon creates microscopic, light-emitting patterns on a crystalline silicon surface.

References:  

Schmuki, P., L.E. Erickson, and D.J. Lockwood. 1998. Light emitting micropatterns of porous silicon created at surface defects. Physical Review Letters 80(May 4):4060.

Further Readings: 

Travis, J. 1991. Silicon now shines with optical potential. Science News 140(Aug. 31):135.

Estrogen may turn on some of the same genes as testosterone and other so-called male hormones.

References:  

Yeh, S. . . .C. Chang. 1998. From estrogen to androgen receptor: A new pathway for sex hormones in prostate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(May 12):5527.

A near-infrared camera aboard the Hubble Space Telescope has recorded the first detailed portrait of the core of the closest galaxy to Earth that houses an active, supermassive black hole.

References:  

Schreier, E.J. In press. Hubble provides multiple views of how to feed a black hole. Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Research Notes

Anthropology

Scientists announced the discovery of additional fossils from Australopithecus anamensis, the earliest known human ancestor capable of walking upright.

References:  

Leakey, M.G., et al. 1998. New specimens and confirmation of an early age for Australopithecus anamensis. Nature 393(May 7):62.

Further Readings: 

Bower, B. 1995. Kenyan fossils unveil new hominid species. Science News 148(Aug. 19):119.

An excavation in Mexico revealed a ball court that was used about 3,400 years ago.

References: 

Hill, W.D., M. Blake, and J.E. Clark. 1998. Ball court design dates back 3,400 years. Nature 392(April 30):878.

 

Astronomy

Astronomers have found the coldest star on record.

References:  

Ciardi, D.R., S.B. Howell, P.H. Hauschildt, and F. Allard. In press. The relative contributions to the near-infrared emission in short period cataclysmic variables. Astrophysical Journal.

Combining computer simulations with data gathered by a dust detector aboard the Galileo spacecraft, researchers have found evidence of a new, faint dust ring encircling Jupiter.

References:  

Colwell, J.E., M. Horányi, and E. Grün. 1998. Capture of interplanetary and interstellar dust by the Jovian magnetosphere. Science 280(April 3):88.

The Ulysses spacecraft has completed its first lap around the sun.

Further Readings: 

Lipkin, R. 1994. Ulysses finds surprise at sun’s south pole. Science News 146(Nov. 19):326.

Biomedicine

Breast milk contains lactadherin, a compound effective in combating the most common diarrhea-causing microbe.

References:  

Newburg, D.S., et al. 1998. Role of human-milk lactadherin in protection against symptomatic rotavirus infection. Lancet 951(April 18):1160.

Further Readings: 

Glass, R.I., et al. 1996. The epidemiology of rotavirus diarrhea in the United States: Surveillance and estimates of disease burden. Journal of Infectious Diseases 174:S5.

Newburg, D.C., et al. 1996. Human milk lactadherin: Nature of its carbohydrate linkage and protection against symptomatic rotavirus infection. Pediatric Research 39:229.

Coffee, tea, and wine may help a woman avoid kidney stones whereas grapefruit juice apparently increases the chances of getting a stone.

References:  

Curhan, G.C., et al. Beverage use and risk for kidney stones in women. Annals of Internal Medicine 128(April 1):534.

Further Readings: 

Curhan, G.C., et al. 1993. A prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and the risk of symptomatic kidney stones. New England Journal of Medicine 328:833.

Pak, C.Y., et al. 1980. Evidence justifying a high fluid intake in treatment of nephrolithiasis. Annals of Internal Medicine 93:36.

Geologists link a chain of craters

Five large asteroids or comets may have hit Earth 214 million years ago.

References:  

Luczaj, J. 1998. Argument supporting explosive igneous activity for the origin of "cryptoexplosion" structures in the midcontinent, United States. Geology 26(April):295.

Rampino, M.R., and T. Volk. 1996. Multiple impact event in the Paleozoic: Collision with a string of comets or asteroids? Geophysical Research Letters 23(Jan. 1):49.

Spray, J.G., S.P. Kelley, and D.B. Rowley. 1998. Evidence for a late Triassic multiple impact event on Earth. Nature 392(March 12):171.

Further Readings: 

Cowen, R. 1994. After the crash. Science News (Dec. 17):412.

Monastersky, R. 1997. The call of catastrophes. Science News (March 1):S20.

Tiny genetic loops aid cancer cells, offer target for therapy

Minichromosomes may help cancer cells proliferate.

References:  

Kanda, T., K.G. Sullivan, and G.M. Wahl. 1998. Histone-GFP fusion protein enables sensitive analysis of chromosome dynamics in living mammalian cells. Current Biology 8(March 26):377.

Shimizu, N. . . .G.M. Wahl. 1998. Selective entrapment of extrachromosomally amplified DNA by nuclear budding and micronucleation during S phase. Journal of Cell Biology 140(March 23):1307.

Further Readings: 

Silberner, J. 1987. Resisting cancer chemotherapy. Science News 131(Jan 3):12.