SCIENCE NEWS ONLINE
The Weekly Newsmagazine of Science

Volume 156, Number 1 (July 3, 1999)

Science News Cover
Where the Wild Things Spar
Observations of wild squirrel monkeys have revealed huge differences in social behavior from one group to the next, thus challenging influential views about primate social evolution. (Photo: Sue Boinski)

ONLINE FEATURES

MathTrek: Solitaire-y Sequences
Food for Thought: Irradiated Ice Cream and Cake
Science Safari: Pyromania
TimeLine: 70 Years Ago in Science News

LETTERS

A Selection of Letters to the Editor


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NEWS OF THE WEEK
(Full Text = Full Text References = References)

Neandertal Hunters Get to the Point References
A stone spear point stuck in a fossilized creature's neck bone indicates that Neandertals were practiced hunters.

Malaria disrupts the immune system References
The single-celled organism that causes malaria also disrupts the immune system, a laboratory study shows.

Outta site! A crafty peek at the sun's back Full Text References
A spacecraft has taken the first peek at activity on the back side of the sun, a feat that may ultimately lead to earlier warnings of solar storms headed to Earth.

Amino acid puts the muscle in mussel glue References
New information about the proteins that mussels use to anchor themselves underwater could lead to glues for biomedical and industrial applications.

If Mom chooses Dad, more ducklings survive References
Female mallards allowed to mate with the drake they desire had more of their offspring survive than did ducks with males chosen for them.

Bt-treated crops may induce allergies Full Text References
A relatively nontoxic bacterium, used as a pesticide to protect crops, may provoke allergies in people who handle treated produce.

DNA crystals are a bacterium's best friend References
To protect DNA from damage during periods of starvation, bacteria may form crystals that include the genetic material.

A pitch for decoding frequency more simply References
Researchers are proposing a new model to describe how the brain converts a sound's frequency to a perceived pitch.

ARTICLES

Stop-and-Go Science Full Text References
By better understanding traffic flow, researchers hope to keep down highway congestion
Researchers are using controversial new models and computer simulations to study roadway congestion and try to control traffic.

The Secret Lives of Squirrel Monkeys References
Social behavior takes surprising turns among these tiny primates
Field observations of South American squirrel monkeys have yielded a surprising range of behaviors, raising questions about captive-animal studies and current theories of primate social evolution.

RESEARCH NOTES

Astronomy

Mars in 3-D References
Bouncing a laser beam off the Red Planet, a spacecraft has created a three-dimensional map of the Martian surface that is more detailed than 3-D maps for some parts of Earth.

Biology

Recipe found for orchid aphrodisiac References
Researchers have at last figured out the recipe for one of nature's sexiest perfumes, the scent that drives male bees to try to mate with an Ophrys orchid.

How moths tell if a yucca's a virgin References
Female yucca moths appear to leave a scent mark on flowers telling other females not to overburden the bloom with eggs.

Earth Science

Reading the leaves for climate clues References
Ancient birch leaves raise questions about prehistoric concentrations of carbon dioxide.

La Niña stirs weather extremes References
A Pacific chill has fostered the current Mid-Atlantic drought and will pump up Atlantic tropical storms this year.

Science & Society

Safe tobacco? Nice try, but no cigar References
Regular cigar smokers face not only twice a nonsmoker's chance of developing some cancers but also a 30 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease.

EMFs—doubts linger over possible risks References
Though the data linking electromagnetic fields to human disease are weak, a federal review concluded that such fields cannot be considered entirely safe.

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