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Dregs of the PlanetFebruary 14, 1998 | Volume 153 | Number 7 Cover: Seismologists have detected zones of unusual rock
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News of the Week:
Depression Gets Doleful Diagnosis
Psychiatrists use a diagnosis criteria for major depression that arbitrarily overlook the continuum of symptoms of varying severity and duration.
Shock wave revives fading supernova ring
Eleven years after astronomers witnessed supernova 1987A, a shock wave from that cataclysm has begun ramming into a surrounding ring of gas.
Hermaphrodites duel for manhood
In unusually blatant sexual conflict, hermaphroditic marine flatworms fight genital duels to determine who plays the male role.
Colon cancer treatment shows promise
A drug that inhibits production of fatty acids called prostaglandins prevents colon cancer in rats.
Viral protein pair divulges Ebola secrets
Studies of two proteins suggest how the deadly Ebola virus avoids the immune system and infects cells.
Peptide nanotube acts as tunnel for ions
A tiny tube made from a stack of ring-shaped peptides allows small ions to pass from one side of a membrane to the other.
Modern climate has roots in Early Devonian
New fossils show that deep-rooted land plants appeared at least 10 million years earlier than previously thought.
As globe warms, hurricanes may speed up
Global warming may boost the intensity of the strongest hurricanes.
Research Notes
Biology
Food snitches threaten rare dogs
African wild dogs burn more energy than predicted during a day, an insight that has forced scientists to rethink the energetics of chasing down dinner and worry about the dogs' loss of food to hyenas.
Whats so sexy about a canary song?
The part of a male canarys song that really excites femalesa rapid-fire two-note trillmay be so difficult to produce that it gives clues about the physical condition of the singer.
The promise of strung-out flies
Fruit flues exposed to crack cocaine exhibit behavioral responses similar to those displayed by crack-addled humans.
Toward more efficient cloning
Scientists have used a vastly more efficient method of cloning to produce two identical calves.
Food & Nutrition
B vitamins bestow heartfelt benefits
Consuming folate and vitamin B6 at levels well in excess of the recommended daily allowance may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Microwaves bedevil a B vitamin
Prolonged microwave cooking can inactivate much of the vitamin B12 in foods.
Behavior
Lying eyes, insightful hands
In the human brain, one neural system perceives the defining qualities of objects whereas another directs visual control of skilled actions.
Articles:
Crystal Clear
X-ray snapshots illuminate how enzymes stitch
together DNA
Detailed pictures of DNA polymerase show how these enzymes create new DNA strands.
The Mush Zone
A slurpy layer lurks deep inside the planet
Patches of partially molten rock at the bottom of Earths mantle may profoundly influence conditions at the planets surface.
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