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Flu Vaccine Aims at Constant
Target
A vaccine that spurs the body to make antibodies that recognize a small
protein on the surface of the flu virus moderates the disease in mice.
Coming: A new crop of organic pesticides
Rapeseed, mustards, and other plants in the brassica family could serve as
vehicles for infusing crop soils with natural, biodegradable pesticides.
Do superconducting currents choose stripes?
Stripe patterns in the magnetic and electronic features of
high-temperature superconductors appear to affect charge motion in the
materials, but whether they actually cause superconductivity is still very
much in dispute.
Math error equals loss of Mars orbiter
NASA last week learned the agony of de-feet: The loss of the $125 million
Mars Climate Orbiter occurred because key data weren’t converted from
English units—pounds and feet—to the metric system.
For possible AIDS drug, smaller is better
Researchers have taken a key step toward producing an oral drug against
AIDS by creating smaller versions of protein molecules that block HIV from
infecting cells.
Life found beneath Antarctic ice
sheet
Scientists have found evidence that viable microorganisms populate a
gigantic freshwater lake hidden for hundreds of thousands of years under
thick ice.
Planetary potential surrounds most stars
A new stellar survey reveals that dust rings appear to surround the
majority of young stars, signaling that the creation of planets may be the
norm, not the exception, in the universe.
Weakling ants cheat by pruning the trees
In the ant wars raging through acacia trees, a perennial loser makes the
novel defense of pruning its tree, destroying bridges that invaders could
use, and sterilizing the tree in the process.
Is Your Stomach Bugging You?
The rise and fall of the bacterium H. pylori
Now that doctors are aggressively treating people infected with H. pylori—a
bacterium that causes ulcers and has been linked to stomach cancer—a
maverick researcher warns that too-quick eradication of the ulcer bug may
also have risks.
Hey, Snake—Rattle This!
Some furry little creatures are born to taunt rattlesnakes
Ground squirrels and kangaroo rats may not look so tough, but when a
rattlesnake shows up, they get feisty.
Biology
Just say NO (or yes?) to aggression
In mice, nitric oxide in the brain may both inhibit and encourage
aggression.
Two genes for the price of one?
The human genome may contain more than 140,000 genes, about twice the
number previously predicted.
Biomedicine
Vaccines without a sticking point
Studies in mice suggest that powdered forms of vaccines can be painlessly
pushed under the skin using a puff of helium from a pneumatic gun, rather
than needles.
New drug gets a grip on HIV
People with AIDS may respond to a new drug in the form of a small protein
known as T-20, which prevents the virus from binding to its target cells.
Curbing the common cold?
Reducing the severity and duration of infection by common cold viruses may
be possible with a new drug called pleconaril, which interferes with a key
step in how the virus infects a cell.
Earth Science
Relieving stress at nuclear-waste site
A land survey near Yucca Mountain, Nev., the proposed site for an
underground nuclear-waste dump, found no appreciable ground warping there.
Will it rain Tuesday? Ask a supermodel
Meteorologists have developed a technique to improve weather forecasts by
combining the best features of many different computer models.
