Where There's Smoke There's Judgment July 18, 1998 | Volume 154 | Number 3 Cover: Real-world decisions, such as those made by firefighters trying to tame a blaze, have attracted the interest of scientists who hope to illuminate the nature of expertise.

Click on this icon listed by each article to get full references and sources.

News of the Week:

 Infanticide Reported in Dolphins

Two research teams have found evidence of infanticide among dolphins off Virginia Beach in the United States and in Moray Firth in Scotland.

Taking charge of artificial molecules

Electrons in an artificial molecule may have been made to dance to the tune of an external controlling beam for the first time — a possible step toward molecule-based computers.

Tamoxifen may not prevent breast cancer

Air-filled spaces make swifter chips

Building air gaps into computer chips could help improve their speed.

Paleoscatology: Prying DNA from dated dung

Genes preserved in the dung of an extinct ground sloth reveal the animal’s diet..

Protein chain mail offers armor for viruses

The shells that protect certain viruses have protein rings that interlink.

 

 

Livestock’s role in antibiotic resistance

Although use of antibiotics to promote livestock growth can foster the emergence of bacteria immune to those drugs, an expert panel concluded that the problem does not yet appear to constitute an immediate health concern.

Women with anorexia face ongoing problems

ITwelve years after women had recovered from anorexia nervosa, they continue to show psychological signs of the disorder, have low weight, and exhibit other psychiatric conditions.

Biology

What wild chimps want for breakfast

Wild chimpanzees have a sweet tooth that makes them overlook a bitter flavor.

Leaf spots cause skewed abortions

A pesky leaf fungus may be responsible for shifting the reproductive efforts of showy mountain shrubs.

Are junior boobies always losers?

Among blue-footed boobies, picked-on younger sibling stays a wimp when moved to a new home with a smaller nest mate.

Hormone fights fat in humans

Leptin helped some but not all obese people lose weight in a 6-month test.

Leptin augurs heart attach, diabetes?

Leptin, the obesity hormone, may play a role in heart disease.

Chemistry

Oxygen gets superconducting powers

Under high pressures and cold temperatures, oxygen becomes a superconductor.

Test can find traces of drugs in milk

 A sensitive new method can quickly detect antibiotics in cow’s milk.

 

Bubble factory for petroleum catalyst

 Ultrasound creates tiny particles of molybdenum sulfide.

 

What aircraft leave behind

Jet traffic may be substantially increasing the number of tiny particles in the atmosphere and stimulating cloud growth.

Weather satellite GOES bad

 One of the top U.S. weather satellites is nearing death, but a back up craft is on hand.

Playing Your Cards Right