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Ready for Brainier Air Bags
September 26, 1998 | Volume 154 | Number 13
Cover: The next generation of computerized and
sensor-based safety features for cars should reduce the risk of air bag-caused harm,
engineers say. Proposed federal standards would mandate crash tests using these newly
developed dummies, which for the first time include models of small women and children.
(Photo: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) |
 Click on this icon listed by each article to get full references and
sources. |
News of the Week:
Second Group of Living Fossils Reported
Two coelacanths caught in
Indonesia indicate that island reefs there host the second known population of these fish.
Gene differs in early birds and night owls
Differences in a gene for
the human biological clock may help explain why some people are early risers and others
hit the snooze button.
A dozen new planets . . . and still counting
Astronomers have
discovered two new planets orbiting sunlike stars, and another team has found graphic
evidence that another sunlike star hosts a complete planetary system.
Progestin enhances an anticancer process
A study of monkeys shows
that the hormone progestin, found in birth control pills, can trigger a natural cell-death
process that inhibits cancer.
Ceramics cling to long bacterial strings
Long threads of connected
bacteria can serve as templates for making ceramic fibers.
Calcium gives black teens heart benefits
Calcium supplements can
slightly reduce blood pressure in black teens whose diets contain too little of this
essential mineral.
A step closer to an atomic-based kilogram?
A new, ultraprecise
measurement of the Planck constant represents an important step toward redefining the
global standard for the kilogram.
As globe warms, atmosphere may shrink
The height of the upper
atmosphere has dropped over the last 40 years, possibly because of greenhouse warming.
Ancient American marine scene
A pair of coastal sites
discovered in Peru suggests that people exploited both marine and inland resources in the
New World as early as 11,000 years ago.
Trailing Lewis and Clark
Archaeologists announce
the discovery of a campsite that seems to have been set up in 1805 by the explorers
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Deep rock gives lift to Africa
Upwelling currents near
the bottom of Earth’s mantle may explain why southern Africa sits so high.
Bonnie’s clouds pierced stratosphere
Satellite images show a
tall, narrow stack of clouds towering over Hurricane Bonnie.
Chaucer’s Descendants
Evolutionary biologists help trace the ancestry of a classic
Scientists used software that traces the ancestry of living species to help
literary scholars determine which versions of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
are closest to the original.
Stamping Out Syphilis
Can the United States finally vanquish this sexually
transmitted disease?
Federal health officials have targeted the spiral bacterium that causes
syphilis, which is currently at an all-time low in the United States.
Curbing Air Bags’ Dangerous Excesses
New smarts, new sensors, and variable inflation could reduce
injury and death
Makers of car safety systems are developing sophisticated technology for air
bags and seat belts to lessen problems caused by forceful inflation.
Letters: A
Selection from Letters to the Editor
