Face-to-Face with Tradition August 8, 1998 | Volume 154 | Number 6 Cover: Collaborating for the sake of science with indigenous peoples, such as the Hopi who make kachina dolls, may sound like a great idea, but building working relationships has proved tricky. (Hopi kachina by Cecil Calnimptewa, photo by Tom Tallant/Canyon Country Originals)

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News of the Week:

Russian Queens Bee-little Mites’ Impact

In hopes of breeding hardier U.S. pollinators, federal scientists are screening Asian-hatched honeybees for their resistance to a lethal mite.

 

Teens put cultured spin on friendship

A study of youngsters in China and Finland suggests that teenagers uniformly emphasize the value of close friendships, but the reasons they give are culturally influenced.

 

DNA vaccines for rabies, rotavirus advance

DNA vaccines, in which genetic material delivered to the cell spawns an immune response, prove effective against rabies and rotavirus in animal tests.

 

Tiles of DNA assemble with a designer fit

Crystals of DNA that form from DNA rectangles might serve as scaffolds for building nanomaterials or as components in DNA-based computers.

 

Hubble gets multiple views of distant galaxy

A trio of images is providing astronomers with an unprecedented look at a galaxy that lies near the edge of the observable universe.

 

Ant queens with wrong genes lose heads

After more than 20 years of speculation about what scientists call green-beard genes—genes with variations that allow the bearers to recognize each other and team up—researchers may have found such a gene, which drives fire ants to kill queens of certain genetic types.

 

Patton tank marks suggest long recovery

Some areas of the Mojave Desert disturbed by Gen. Patton’s training exercises in 1940 have recovered surprisingly slowly because microorganisms in the top soil layer have been slow to recolonize.

 

Ultracold atoms: New gravity yardstick?

A powerful tool of laboratory atomic physics — the ability to cool and trap atoms with lasers — may be headed for its first widespread practical application: measuring gravity for oil and geophysical exploration and submarine navigation.

 

Epsilon Eridani: An early solar system?

The thinning, hollowed-out disk of dust — a signpost of planet formation — surrounding the nearby star Epsilon Eridani may bear the most striking resemblance to the early solar system.

Ground controllers have established intermitten radio contact with a wayward satellite studying the sun, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, which lost power on June 25.

Why do pigeons get so romantic?

Female pigeons may be offering sex to encourage their mates to stay close and protect them from harassment by other males.

Downstream trout swim but can’t hide

Lurking downstream from its prey doesn’t always hide a hungry trout — bite-size creatures called amphipods detect the danger before they drift into it.

 

Slime coating counts in love darts

Snails that stab their partners' love darts during mating may be injecting chemicals that enhance the chances of fatherhood.

Climate did in giant Mongolian mammals

A dramatic cooling spurred the disappearance of Mongolia’s giant mammals.

 

Attacking an enigma with engineering

Experiments in a water tank help scientists understand the earliest large creatures on Earth.

Wetlands accounting—all wet?

With no reliable tally of wetlands and their status, federal officials cannot assess the success of government programs aimed at achieving "no net loss of wetlands."

 

U.N. calls for action on climate change

The United Nations advocates immediate enactment of programs to curb the buildup of greenhouse gases, actions that would be beneficial even in the absence of global warming.

 

Job jeopardy may imperil health

Civil servants who feared they might become unemployed developed more signs of heart-disease risks and other adverse health symptoms than coworkers who felt their jobs were secure.

Scientists puzzle over extrasolar planets

Astronomers are puzzling over the formation and evolution of a slew of recently discovered massive planets that closely orbit stars near the solar system.

 

Why can’t conservation scientists and indigenous peoples just get along?

Stereotypes, different decision-making styles, and difficulties in communication have derailed collaborations between scientists and indigenous peoples.