A novel experimental technique detects cancer cells shed into the blood by a fledgling tumor.

References:  

Racila, E. . . . J.W. Uhr. 1998. Detection and characterization of carcinoma cells in the blood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(April 14):4589.

Further Readings:  

Ghossein, R.A., and J. Rosai. 1996. Polymerase chain reaction in the detection of micrometastases and circulating tumor cells. Cancer 78(July):1.

Researchers for the first time experimentally demonstrated the operation of a simple quantum computer to perform an efficient search.

References:  

Chuang, I.L., N. Gershenfeld, and M. Kubinec. 1998. Experimental implementation of fast quantum searching. Physical Review Letters 80(April 13):3408.

Jones, J.A. 1998. Fast searches with nuclear magnetic resonance computers. Science 280(April 10):229.

Further Readings: 

Gershenfeld, N.A., and I.L. Chuang. 1997. Bulk spin-resonance quantum computation. Science 275(Jan. 17):350.

Grover, L.K. 1998. The advantages of superposition. Science 280(April 10):228.

Peterson, I. 1996. Quantum-quick queries. Science News 150 (Aug. 31):143.

______. 1995. Quantum bits. Science News 147(Jan. 14):30.

______. 1994. Opening a quantum door on computing. Science News 145(May 14):308.

Vergano, D. 1997. Brewing a quantum computer in a coffee cup. Science News 151(Jan. 18):37.

The diameter of a tree stem changes with the rhythm of the tides.

References:  

Zurcher, E., et al. 1988. Tree stem diameters fluctuate with tide. Nature 392(April 16):665.

Geologists have solved a decades-old puzzle about lava deposits on Mount Rainier.

References:  

Lescinsky, D.T., and T.W. Sisson. 1998. Ridge-forming, ice-bounded lava flows at Mount Rainier, Washington. Geology 26(April):351.

Further Readings:  

Monastersky, R. 1994. Mount Rainier threatens with fire and ice. Science News 145(May 28):341.

A new device harnesses sunlight to produce hydrogen gas by electrochemically splitting water.

References:  

Khaselev, O., and J.A. Turner. 1998. A monolithic photovoltaic-photoelectrochemical device for hydrogen production via water splitting. Science 280(April 17):425.

Further Readings:  

Lipkin, R. 1993. Firing up fuel cells. Science News 144(Nov. 13):314.

Perkins, S. 1997. Electric cars . . . fueled by gasoline? Science News 152(Nov. 1):279.

Travis, J. 1996. Enzymes may turn paper, grass into fuel. Science News 150(July 6):7.

Wu, C. 1995. Hybrid cars. Science News 148(Oct. 7):232.

Climate change measure for the common folk 

Researchers have developed what they call a common-sense climate index to flag when people in a region would notice long-term changes in climate.

References: 

Hansen, J., et al. 1998. A common-sense climate index: Is climate changing noticeably? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(April 14):4113.

Further Readings:  

Monastersky, R. 1997. Pacific warmth augurs weird weather. Science News 151(May 24):316.

______. 1997. Global temperatures spark hot debate. Science News 151(March 15):156.

Additional information about the proposed climate change index can be found at: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/intro/hansen.04.

Educational achievement and income do not by themselves explain why blacks use the Internet at a lower rate than whites.

References:  

Hoffman, D.L., and T.P. Novak. 1998. Bridging the racial divide on the Internet. Science 280(April 17):390.

Further Readings:  

Dede, C. 1997. Rethinking how to invest in educational technology. Educational Leadership 55(November):12.

Lipkin, R. 1995. The library that isn’t there. Science News 147(June 3):344.

Raloff, J. 1996. Minds-on science. Science News 149(Feb. 3):72.

Vergano, D. 1996. Science and math education: No easy answer. Science News 150(Nov. 30):341.

Deeply held religious faith hastens recovery from mild to moderate depression among elderly people.

References:  

Koenig, H.G., L.K. George, and B.L. Peterson. 1998. Religiosity and remission of depression in medically ill older patients. American Journal of Psychiatry 144(April):536.

Further Readings: 

Kendler, K.S. 1998. Boundaries of major depression: An evaluation of DSM-IV criteria. American Journal of Psychiatry 155(February):172.

Research Notes

The nation’s top choice for a nuclear waste repository is more geologically active than expected.

References:  

Wernicke, B., et al. 1998. Anomalous strain accumulation in the Yucca Mountain area, Nevada. Science 279(March 27):2096.

Further Readings: 

Monastersky, R. 1997. Relying on geology to jail nuclear waste. Science News 152(Nov. 1):277.

The walls of a castle in Israel display the scars of a quake from the year 1202.

References:  

Ellenblum, R., et al. 1998. Crusader castle torn apart by earthquake at dawn, 20 May 1202. Geology 26(April):303.

Researchers describe the first carnivorous plant known to prey on protozoa.

References:  

Barthlott, W., et al. 1998. Genlisea: A carnivorous plant acting as a trap for Protozoa. Nature 392(April 1):451.

Further Readings: 

Additional information about the novel plant can be found at: http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/biodiv.

Plumage differences that show up mainly at ultraviolet wavelengths visible to birds may account for why female blue tits are preferentially attracted to certain males.

References:  

Andersson, S., J. Örnborg, and M. Andersson. 1997. Ultraviolet sexual dimorphism and assortative mating in blue tits. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 265(March 22):445.

Hunt, S., et al. 1997. Blue tits are ultraviolet tits. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 265(March 22):451.

Italian paleontologists have found fossilized intestinal remains and other soft tissue preserved inside a dinosaur.

References:  

Sasso, Cristiano D., and M. Signore. 1998. Exceptional soft-tissue preservation in a theropod dinosaur from Italy. Nature 392(March 26):383.

Newly found fossils of ancient birds provide important evidence of the transition from dinosaurs to birds.

References:  

Forster, C.A., et al. 1998. The theropod ancestry of birds: New evidence from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Science 279(March 20):1915.

Further Readings: 

Chiappe, L.M., M.A. Norell, and J.M. Clark. 1998. The skull of a relative of the stem-group bird Mononykus. Nature 392(March 29):275.

Monastersky, R. 1997. A fowl fight. Science News 153(Aug. 23):120.

As courts increasingly address science-related issues, judges are exploring ways to ensure that scientific testimony is reliable.

References:  

Sanders, J. 1998. Disorder in the court: Silicone breast implants and other scientific litigation. Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Philadelphia.

Further Readings: 

Fackelmann, K. 1997. Diet drug debacle. Science News 152(Oct. 18):252.

Additional information on the expert testimony issue can be found at : http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html.

The merger of two microbes may explain the origin of energy-generating structures in cells.

References:  

Hirt, R.P. . . . T.M. Embley. 1997. A mitochondrial Hsp70 orthologue in Vairimorpha necatrix: Molecular evidence that microsporidia once contained mitochondria. Current Biology 7(December):995.

Martin, W., and M. Muller. 1998. The hydrogen hypothesis for the first eukaryote. Nature 392(March 5):37.

Sogin, M.L. 1998. A mitochondrial-like chaperonin 60 gene in Giardia lamblia: Evidence that diplomonads once harbored an endosymbiont related to the progenitor of mitochondria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(Jan. 6):229.

Further Readings: 

Bui, E.T., P.J. Bradley, and P.J. Johnson. 1996. A common evolutionary origin for mitochondria and hydrogenosomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 93(Sept. 3):9651.

Dolittle, W.F. 1998. A paradigm gets shifty. Nature 392(March 5):15.

Palmer, J.D. 1997. Organelle genomes: Going, going, gone! Science 275(Feb. 7):790.

Travis, J. 1996. Third branch of life bares its genes. Science News 150(Aug. 24):116.