More Stories from the January 1, 2000 issue
- Physics
Computers Crunch Quantum Collisions
Physicists have mathematically described what happens when an electron collides with a hydrogen atom, accomplishing a longstanding goal.
- Earth
Smoggy Asian air enters United States
High concentrations of ozone from Asia reach the United States.
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Mom’s eggs execute Dad’s mitochondria
Sperm may tag their own mitochondria for destruction inside the fertilized egg.
- Chemistry
Antibiotics may become harder to resist
Drug designers have developed new tactics to make it harder for bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics.
- Physics
Time’s arrow may make U-turns in universe
Time may run backwards for isolated chunks of matter in our universe and that reversed state could be probed gently from the forward-going realm without disturbing the time arrow.
- Health & Medicine
Stem cells repair rat spinal cord damage
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, researchers restored some movement in paralyzed rats that had undergone a crippling spinal injury.
- Animals
Male bats primp daily for odor display
For the first time, scientists have described the daily routine of male sac-winged bats gathering to freshen the odor pouches on their wings.
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- Earth
Taking a mountain’s measure
A survey of Mount Everest alters its official elevation to 29,035 feet.
- Earth
Wretched weather sealed explorer’s fate
Unusually low temperatures hindered Robert Falcon Scott's polar expedition in 1912.
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Antioxidants may help cancers thrive
By curbing a natural process that rids the body of damage, antioxidant vitamins can aid cancer growth.
- Health & Medicine
The brew for a slimmer you
Green tea contains a compound that triggers the body to burn more fat.
- Materials Science
Small-scale glues stick to surfaces
Tailored molecular glues can connect together tiny particles for nanotechnology applications.
- Materials Science
Impurity clouds from all sides now
For the first time, scientists have obtained detailed, three-dimensional images of line defects in steel.
- Physics
Matter waves: Be fruitful and multiply
For the first time, physicists induced atoms to amplify a selected matter wave in a manner analogous to a cascade of photons amplifying the characteristic electromagnetic wave of an optical laser.
- Humans
An Artist’s Timely Riddles
A team of researchers demonstrates that there may be much more to the art of Marcel Duchamp than meets the casual, or even critical, eye.
- Chemistry
The World of Wine
Improved analytical instruments and powerful computers are now enabling scientists to better determine a chemical fingerprint for products from different wine-producing regions.
