Simple washing doesn't eliminate all bacteria that may contaminate raw produce.

 References:

Lopes, J.A., A. Rillo, and R.J. Lopes. 1998. Effect of storage temperature on population density of natural and pathogenic bacteria on vegetables. Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology Abstract P-107. May. Atlanta.

Potter, A.P., and E.E. Ehrenfeld. 1998. Microbial loads of bean sprouts: Coloform, E. coli, and salmonella. Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology Abstract Q-243. May. Atlanta.

U.S. General Accounting Office. 1998. Federal efforts to ensure the safety of imported food are inconsistent and unreliable. Report GAO/RCED 98-103.

 Further Readings:

1997. Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection and cryptosporidiosis associated with drinking unpasteurized apple cider—Connecticut and New York, October 1996. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 46(Jan. 10):4.

Peters, D., S.S. Sumner, et al. 1996. Control of pathogenic bacteria on fresh produce. Meeting of the International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians Abstract 168. July. Seattle.

Raloff, J. 1996. How to disinfect your salad. Science News Online. Sept. 28.

______. 1996. Sponges and sinks and rags, oh my! Science News 150(Sept. 14):172.

______. 1996. Tracking and tackling foodborne germs. Science News 149(May 25):326.

Richert, R., J. Albrecht, S.S. Sumner, et al. 1995. Survival and growth of E. coli O157:H7 on produce. Journal of Food Protection 58(Supplement):19.

Wilson, D. 1998. Food poisonings’ phony figure. Columbia Journalism Review (May/June):16.

 The radiocarbon content of coral may provide insights into water movements associated with El Niño behavior.

 Bacteria that thrive on aluminum live in Yellowstone National Park.

 References:

Gonzales, J.M. . . .J.E. Brown, F.T. Robb, et al. 1998. Microbial diversity, metabolism, and interaction. Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. May. Atlanta.

 Further Readings:

Cervantes, C. 1996. Microbial interactions with aluminum. BioMetals 9:311.

 A new study debunks the notion that glass flows slowly downward, making antique windows thicker at the bottom.

 References:

Zanotto, E.D. 1998. Do cathedral glasses flow? American Journal of Physics 66(May):392.

Further Readings:

Plumb, R.C. 1989. Antique windowpanes and the flow of supercooled liquids. Journal of Chemical Education 66:994.

Additional information about antique windowpanes and glass flow can be found at http://www.ualberta.ca/~bderksen/florin.html   and http://www.ualberta.ca/~bderksen/windowpane.html .

 Solar flares can generate seismic waves beneath the solar surface that are akin to giant earthquakes.

 References:

Kosovichev, A.G., and V.V. Zharkova. 1998. Solar flares spark quakes in Sun’s interior. Nature 393(May 28):317.

 Further Readings:

Cowen, R. 1998. Space 1998. Science News 153(Jan. 3):8

 Two physics teams have made promising advances toward capturing molecules cooled to near absolute zero.

 References:

Fioretti, A. . . .P. Pillet. 1998. Formation of cold Cs₂ molecules through photoassociation. Physical Review Letters 80(May 18):4402.

 Further Readings:

Perkins, S. 1997. Laser cooling yields Nobel in physics. Science News 152(Oct. 25):263.

Peterson, I. 1997. Atom laser demonstrated in chilled drips. Science News 151(Feb. 1):71.

______. 1996. Viewing, jiggling a novel state of matter. Science News 149(May 25):327.

Wu, C. 1995. Physics ‘Holy Grail’ finally captured. Science News 148(July 15):36.

 Cholesterol-fighting drugs such as lovastatin and pravastatin reduce the risk of heart problems in people who don't have high concentrations of cholesterol in their blood.

 References:

Downs, J.R., et al. 1998. Primary prevention of acute coronary events with lovastatin in men and women with average cholesterol levels. Journal of the American Medical Association 279(May 27):1615.

MacMahon, S., et al. 1998. Effects of lowering average or below-average cholesterol levels on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis: Results of the LIPID atherosclerosis substudy. Circulation 97(May 12):1784.

 Further Readings:

Fey, R., and N. Pearson. 1996. Statins and coronary heart disease. Lancet 347(May 18):1389.

Husten, L. 1997. Latest trials on statins show large benefits for wide range of patients. Lancet 350(Nov. 22):1525.

Pearson, T.A. 1998. Lipid-lowering therapy in low-risk patients. Journal of the American Medical Association 279(May 27):1659.

Pedersen, T.R. 1995. Baseline serum cholesterol and treatment effect in the Scandinavian simvastatin survival study (4S). Lancet 345(May 20):1274.

Sacks, F.M., et al. 1996. The effect of pravastatin on coronary events after myocardial infarction in patients with average cholesterol levels. New England Journal of Medicine 886:1001.

Sternberg, S. 1996. Average cholesterol counts: Not low enough. Science News 150(Oct. 5):215.

 Indicating that humans occupied a rock shelter in northern Australia no more than 22,000 years ago, a new analysis challenges a previous report that the site was inhabited much earlier.

 References:

Roberts, R., et al. 1998. Optical and radiocarbon dating at Jinmium rock shelter in northern Australia. Nature 393(May 28):358.

 Further Readings:

Bower, B. 1996. Human origins recede in Australia. Science News 150(Sept. 28):196.

Taçon, P.S.C., et al. 1997. Cupule engravings from Jinmium-Granilpi (northern Australia) and beyond: Exploration of a widespread and enigmatic class of rock markings. Antiquity 71(December):942.

 The conspicuous perches picked by bellbirds for their loud, wiggly mating displays may aid trees' seed dispersal to prime locations.

 References:

Wenny, D.G., and D.J. Levy. 1998. Directed seed dispersal by bellbirds in a tropical cloud forest. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(May 26):6204.

Research Notes

Astronomy

 Data from recent observations of distant supernovas and measurements of the cosmic microwave background strengthen evidence for the existence that an antigravity force pervades the universe.

 Further Readings:

Cowen, R. 1998. Repulsive force in the cosmos? Science News 153(March 21):185.

______. 1998. Cosmologists in flatland. Science News 153(Feb. 28):139.

Biology

 The steady traffic of nectar-sipping ants reduces damage caused to one fern species by leaf-eating ants.

 References:

Koptur, S., V. Rico-Gray, and M. Palacios-Rios. 1998. Ant protection of the nectaried fern Polypodium plebeium in central Mexico. American Journal of Botany 85(May):736.

 Last year's die-off of Mediterranean monk seals may have been caused by algal toxins in contaminated fish rather than a virus.

 References:

Harwood, J. 1998. What killed the monk seals? Nature 393(May 7):17.

Hernández, M., et al. 1998. Did algal toxins cause monk seal mortality? Nature 393(May 7):28.

Material Science

 The protein coat of a virus is used as a mold for inorganic crystals.

 References:

Douglas, T., and M. Young. 1998. Host-guest encapsulation of materials by assembled virus protein cages. Nature 393(May 14):152.

 Further Readings:

Pennisi, E. 1991. Filling and fathoming fullerene molecules. Science News 140(Dec. 14):391.

Wu, C. 1998. Tiny bioreactors speed up reaction. Science News 153(April 11):230.

______. 1996. Carbon onions put on the pressure. Science News 150(Aug. 31):139.

 A new gel application technique creates an image that is revealed only at raised temperatures.

 References:

Hu, Z., et al. 1998. Polymer gels with engineered environmentally responsive surface patterns. Nature 393(May 14):149.

Further Readings:

1995. A swell gel. Science News 147(March 25):191.

Wu, C. 1997. Liquid-to-gel polymer delivers drugs. Science News 152(Sept. 13):170.

______. 1996. Gels can give drugs a timely release. Science News 150(Sept. 7):159.

Paleontology

 One family of dinosaurs had an advanced physiology approaching that of warm-blooded animals.

 References:

1998. Adaptations of S.E. Australian dinosaurs to a polar environment. Dinofest Symposium. April. Philadelphia.

Chinsamy, A., T. Rich, and P. Vickers-Rich. 1998. Polar dinosaur bone histology. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18(June):385.

 A 110-million-year-old fossil reveals details about the early evolution of marine turtles.

 References:

Hirayama, R. 1998. Oldest known sea turtle. Nature 392(April 16):705.

 Research on cowbirds reveals a surprisingly ordinary love life, impressive commuting range, and little evidence of protection rackets.

 References:

Clotfelter, E.D. 1997. What cues do brown-headed cowbirds use to locate red-winged blackbird host nests? Animal Behaviour 55(May):1181.

Smith, J.N.M., and M.J. Tatt. 1998. The song sparrow and the brown-headed cowbird: Enemies and friends. North American Ornithological Conference. April. St. Louis.

Further Readings:

Gibbs, H.L., M. de L. Brooke, and N.B. Davies. 1996. Analysis of genetic differentiation of host races of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus using mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA variation. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 263:89.

Goguen, C.B., N.E. Mathews. 1996. Nest desertation by blue-gray gnatcatchers in association with brown-headed cowbird parasitism. Animal Behaviour 52:613.

Payne, R.B. 1998. Brood parasitism in birds: Strangers in the nest. Bioscience 48(May):377.

Rohwer, S., C.D. Spaw, and E. Røskaft. 1989. Costs to Northern Orioles of puncture-ejecting parasitic cowbird eggs from their nests. Auk 106:734.

Rohwer, S., and C.D. Spaw. 1988. Evolutionary lag versus bill-size constraints: A comparative study of the acceptance of cowbird eggs by old hosts. Evolutionary Ecology 2:27.

Røskaft, E., S. Rohwer, and C.D. Spaw. 1993. Cost of puncture ejection compared with costs of rearing cowbird chicks for Northern Orioles. Ornis Scand. 24:28.

Rothstein, S.I. 1990. A model system for co-evolution: Avian brood parasitism. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 21:481.

Sealy, S.G. 1996. Evolution of host defenses against brood parasitism: Implications of puncture-ejection by a small passerine. Auk 113(April):346.

Smith, J.N.M., and P. Arcese. 1994. Brown-headed cowbirds and an island population of song sparrows: A 16-year study. Condor 96:916.

 Several natural constituents of soy not only lower blood cholesterol but also improve vascular health.

 References:

Gylling, H., R. Radhakrishnan, and T.A. Miettinen. 1997. Reduction of serum cholesterol in postmenopausal women with previous myocardial infarction and cholesterol malabsorption induced by dietary sitostanol ester margarine: Women and dietary sitostand. Circulation 96(Dec. 16):4226.

Miettinen, T.A., et al. 1995. Reduction of serum cholesterol with sitostanol-ester margarine in a mildly hypercholesterolemic population. New England Journal of Medicine 333(Nov. 16):1308.

Nestel, P.J., et al. 1997. Soy isoflavones improve systemic arterial compliance but not plasma lipids in menopausal and perimenopausal women. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 17(December):3392.

Tikkanen, M.J. . . .H. Adlercreutz. 1998. Effect of soybean phytoestrogen intake in low density lipoprotein oxidation resistance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 95(March 17):3106.

 Further Readings:

1995. Eating soy to lower cholesterol. Science News 148(Aug. 19):127.

1995. Breast effects of hormonal pollutants. Science News 148(Aug. 5):92.

Anthony, M.S., and T.B. Clarkson. 1998. Comparison of soy phytoestrogens and conjugated equine estrogens on atherosclerosis progression in postmenopausal monkeys. Circulation. 97(March 3):829.

Anthony, M.S., et al. 1997. Soy protein versus soy phytoestrogens in the prevention of diet-induced coronary artery atherosclerosis of male cynomolgus monkeys. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 17(November):2524.

Crouse, J.R., et al. 1998. Soy protein containing isoflavones reduces plasma concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins. Circulation. 97(March 3):816.

Ingram, D., et al. 1997. Case-control study of phyto-oestrogens and breast cancer. Lancet 350(Oct. 4):990.

Raines, E.W., and R. Ross. 1995. Biology of atherosclerotic plaque formation: Possible role of growth factors in lesion development and the potential impact of soy. Journal of Nutrition 125(March):624S.

Raloff, J. 1997. Plant estrogens may ward off breast cancer. Science News 152(Oct. 11):230.

______. 1997. The rise of nutraceuticals. Science News Online. February 15.

_______1995. How paper mill wastes may imperil fish. Science News 148(Nov. 4):295.

Zhou, Y., and A.S. Lee. 1998. Mechanism for the suppression of the mammalian stress response by genistein, an anticancer phytoestrogen from soy. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 90(March 4):381.