Science News / July 28th, 2001

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In This Issue

Sequencing the dead to save the living: Reviving ancient genomes of long-extinct creatures offers a window into past extinctions—and may help prevent future die outs
No gene is an island: Even as biologists catalog the discrete parts of life forms, an emerging picture reveals that life’s functions arise from interconnectedness
The decider: Informing the debate over the reality of ‘free will’ requires learning something about the lateral habenula
This week's table of contents

July 28th, 2001

New Antibiotics Take Poke at Bacteria

Small rings of amino acids can self-assemble into tubes that punch holes in bacteria. (p. 52)
Setting electronics in artificial stone

Electronics components made of Portland cement may one day be part of buildngs and roadways that double as gargantuan sensors or other current-carrying devices. (p. 52)
Craft tracks giant dust storm on Mars

The largest dust storm observed on Mars in 25 years is now engulfing the Red Planet. (p. 53)
Bacteria live inside bacteria in mealybug

In a new twist on how life forms can exploit each other and with implications for how complex cells originated, scientists have discovered one bacterium living inside another. (p. 53)
Synthetic protein may yield malaria vaccine

A molecule patterned after part of the parasite that causes most severe malaria induces a strong immune response in people. (p. 54)
Deaf kids establish own sign language

Deaf children in Nicaragua display evidence of having created a fully grammatical sign language on their own in under 2 decades. (p. 54)
Climate accord reached

Negotiators, without U.S. representatives' input, resolved controversies in Bonn that were blocking an international treaty to limit greenhouse gases. (p. 54)
For past climate clues, ask a stalag-mite

Mites fossilized in cave formations in the American Southwest show that at times during the past 3,200 years the climate there was much wetter and cooler. (p. 55)
Don't look now, but is that dog laughing?

Researchers have identified a particular exhalation that dogs make while playing as a possible counterpart to a human laugh. (p. 55)
Bow-wowing them with radar

The sharpest radar image ever of an asteroid shows features on 1999 KW4 as small as 7.5 meters—about the length of a stretch limo. (p. 57)
Biotechnology may fortify U.S. Army

A government-sponsored study says the U.S. Army may benefit from advances in biotechnology during the next 25 years, including sensors that identify soldiers by the food they ate, protein-based computers, near-instant vaccines, and automated wound treatments. (p. 57)
Having gathered moss, water drops roll

A coating of water-repellent powder transforms water droplets into remarkably mobile and resiliant balls, hoops, or peanut-shaped blobs. (p. 57)
Fighting Herself

Autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men, and researchers are beginning to tease out the cellular mechanisms that may be responsible for this phenomenon. (p. 58)
A Rocky Bicentennial

Mounting evidence that many asteroids aren't solid rock but collections of loosely bound fragments could have far-reaching implications for elucidating their internal structure, understanding planet formation, and developing strategies to mitigate the threat of one striking Earth. (p. 61)

Blogs:

Science & the Public Is Your Fish Oil Polluted?
By Janet Raloff Nov 20th 2008

Columns:

Comment Debates over definition of planet continue and inspire
By Alan Stern Nov 21st 2008

Math Trek How to (really) trust a mathematical proof
By Julie Rehmeyer
Mathematicians develop computer proof-checking systems in order to realize century-old dreams of fully precise, accurate mathematics. Nov 14th 2008

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