 |
Two Faces of Deceptive ResearchJune 20, 1998 | Volume 153 | Number 25 Cover: Social psychologists have often misled volunteers in order to study obedience to authority and other sensitive issues. On the face of it, this practice appears necessary, but lab deceptions harbor a dark side that casts a shadow over the entire research effort, according to some scientists. |
Features:
Food for
Thought Science Safari
Full Text
Available for Selected Articles
News of the Week:
Power
Cracking of Cash Card Codes
Monitoring the power usage of a smart card's microcircuitry can provide data for breaching the card's security.
Flies carry gene for alcohol sensitivity
A fruit fly gene that makes the insects especially wobbly when exposed to alcohol fumes could aid research into human alcoholism.
Unveiling the tau of neurodegeneration
Mutations in the gene that encodes the tau protein have been linked to frontotemporal dementia, suggesting that the protein plays a role in brain cell degeneration.
Protein’s shape may give extra-sugary taste
Researchers have determined the structure of brazzein, a protein 2,000 times sweeter than sugar.
Computer model captures missing matter
Computer simulations indicate that half the ordinary matter in the universe remains hidden because it radiates at difficult-to-detect wavelengths.
Toads can’t tell guys from gals
Male western toads can’t identify females, but the species keeps going thanks to the philosophy: "If it’s large and moving, grab it and mate."
Getting the
scoop from the poop of T. rex
Fossilized feces from a tyrannosaur show crunched bones from another dinosaur.
Healthy functioning takes social cues
A large study of British civil servants finds poorer general health in those whose work efforts go unrewarded and in those who report substantial conflict in intimate relationships.
Research Notes
Biology
Island has the world’s only red nectars
The only three plant species in the world known to have red nectar all live in Mauritius.
Washington has the really tough singers
A comparison of song sparrows shows that Washington males hold song-matching bouts, but Pennsylvania birds don’t know the right tunes.
If a tree falls, will lizards listen?
A study of gaps in the Amazonian forest suggests that even single-tree logging might invite a boom in heat-loving lizards.
Earth Sciences
Life got a kick out of dreary years
A billion years of geologic stability may have spurred the evolution of complex life.
Global warming eggs on El Niņo
El Niņos have gotten warmer and more frequent this century.
Articles:
Researchers study herbal remedies for hot flashes
Components of some age-old treatments function like estrogen.
Psychology’s Tangled Web
Deceptive methods may backfire on behavioral researchers
Psychologists disagree over the practical implications of using deceptive tactics in their research.
Printing the pages of an electronic book
A new type of ink made up of microencapsulated particles changes color in response to an electric signal.
People to ContactLetters: A Selection from Letters to the Editor
For More Information on this Week's Articles:
|
|||
copyright 1998 Science Service |
|||
