Science News / April 9th, 2005

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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

April 9th, 2005

Untangling Ancient Roots: Earliest hominid shows new, improved face

New fossil finds and a digitally reconstructed skull bolster the claim that the oldest known member of the human evolutionary family lived in central Africa between 6 million and 7 million years ago. (p. 227)
Molecular Switch: Protein may influence chronic-pain disorder

A cell-surface protein found in the nervous system may play a central role in a chronic-pain condition known as neuropathy. (p. 227)
Stellar Question: Extrasolar planet or failed star?

A tiny dot of light next to a young, sunlike star might be the long-sought image of an extrasolar planet. (p. 228)
Remote Control Minds: Light flashes direct fruit fly behavior

Researchers have exerted a little mind control over fruit flies by designing and installing genetic 'remote controls' within the insects' brains. (p. 228)
Open Sesame: Portable devices may achieve magnetic resonance views

Top-notch magnetic resonance sensing now found only in hospitals and chemical labs may become available in portable devices, thanks to a new type of magnetic sensor. (p. 229)
Fish Din: Reef clamor attracts young fish settlers

When looking for a home, young fish seem to prefer a reef that's alive with the sounds of shrimp and fish rather than a quieter environment. (p. 229)
Color Trails: Natural dyes in historic textiles get a closer look

A new chemical technique for extracting natural dyes from ancient textiles could help identify the plant species from which the colorants came. (p. 230)
Manuscripts as Fossils

A new mathematical model estimates how many medieval manuscripts have survived to the present. (p. 231)
Code of Many Colors

Researchers have yet to find markers for race in the genome, but understanding the biology underlying perceptions of race could have dramatic social and personal consequences. (p. 232)
Dusty rejuvenation

The Mars rover Spirit recently had its dirty solar arrays cleaned off, possibly by a dust devil, allowing the craft to generate nearly as much energy as it did when it first landed on the Red Planet in January 2004. (p. 235)
Plants fix genes using copies from ancestors

Some plants can reinstate genes missing from their own chromosomes but that had been carried by previous generations. (p. 235)
Moon story waxes fuller

A new analysis may have put the final piece in the puzzle of how the Moon formed. (p. 235)
Lightning creates radiation-safe zone

A relatively safe region within the seas of radiation that surround Earth owes its existence to lightning storms. (p. 235)
Phages take breaks while ejecting DNA

Bacterial viruses, or phages, inject DNA into their prey in a way that is more complicated than researchers had previously thought. (p. 235)
DNA tells pigs' tale of diverse ancestry

A genetic study indicates that pigs were domesticated in at least seven different parts of Asia and Europe, not in just two regions, as many researchers had assumed. (p. 236)
Detecting cancer in a flash

Instant identification of cancer cells may become possible following experiments demonstrating that healthy and cancerous cells alter laser light in different, and distinguishable, ways. (p. 237)
Tense encounters drive a nanomotor

Exploiting the relative strength of surface tension forces in the world of tiny objects, a novel type of nanomotor creates a powerful thrust each time molten metal droplets merge. (p. 237)
Lone protein molecule could tip this scale

A scale-on-a-chip capable of weighing individual, biologically active proteins took a step closer to reality as a minuscule, vibrating bridge detected the mass of a mere 30 xenon atoms. (p. 237)
Letters from the April 9, 2005, issue of Science News

(p. 239)

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

Bulletin Board: