More Stories from the December 8, 2001 issue
- Health & Medicine
Drugs tested for Lou Gehrig’s disease
Two drugs, one for cancer and one for arthritis, may be effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
- Health & Medicine
A spice takes on Alzheimer’s disease
Curcumin, a spice used in yellow curry, may thwart Alzheimer's disease.
- Health & Medicine
Antibiotic now tackles Parkinson’s
A well-known antibiotic may slow the brain-cell death that causes Parkinson's disease.
- Health & Medicine
New epilepsy drug is possible
A drug mimicking a natural substance in the brain may offer a new therapy for epilepsy.
- Health & Medicine
Thinking the way to stronger muscles
Thinking about exercising a muscle can make it stronger.
- Physics
Neutrino shortage may signal new force
The dearth of neutrinos from a precision experiment casts some doubt on the prevailing model of particle physics and may indicate that a previously unrecognized extra force exists.
- Physics
Shortest transistor makes its debut
A novel type of single-molecule transistor built around a one-molecule-thick layer of organic molecules may eventually lead to faster, denser chips because the channel through which electrons flow is so short.
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Africanized bees rescue loner trees
Africanized bees pollinate some of the big Brazilian forest trees now stranded in the middle of cleared land away from their native pollinators.
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Beer-flavoring compounds guide insects
The class of compounds that give beer its bitterness does two more sober jobs in Hypericum flowers.
- Health & Medicine
Low Radiation Hurts Bystander Cells
New research confirms that alpha particles from decaying radon atoms can damage neighboring cells they don't directly hit and suggests a mechanism for this so-called bystander effect.
- Animals
New lizard ties for ‘world’s smallest’
A newly discovered lizard small enough to curl up on a dime ties for the title of the smallest of its kind in the world.
- Anthropology
Human evolution put brakes on tooth growth
A new analysis of fossil teeth indicates that the slower pace of dental development observed in people today dates back only about 100,000 years.
- Astronomy
X-ray craft sees Venus in whole new light
Astronomers have unveiled the first X-ray image of Venus.
- Animals
Female ducks can double eggs by trickery
Female goldeneye ducks can double their offspring by sneaking eggs into other females' nests before settling down to a nest of their own.
- Materials Science
Synthetic molecules mimic bone growth
Researchers have created molecules that assemble into a microscopic structure that mimics bone.
- Health & Medicine
Delayed surgery aids spinal cord repair
Postponing surgery to repair a severed spinal cord in rats improves the likelihood that the operation will counteract the injury.
- Health & Medicine
Surprise! Fat proves a taste sensation
The share of consumed fat that travels into a person's bloodstream depends on whether the person tasted fat to begin with.
- Tech
Fly lends an ear to microphone design
The unique way some flies localize sound has inspired engineers to design tiny directional microphones for hearing aids and surveillance devices.
- Math
Knot Possible
Knot theorists are getting closer to their goal of developing practical procedures for distinguishing knotted curves from unknotted ones.
- Tech
Gadgets from the Quantum Spookhouse
Despite much fanfare about proposed computers based on weird features of quantum mechanics, a whole array of other quantum technologies—navigation devices, chip-making equipment, atomic clocks and more—may also outshine their conventional cousins and be easier to implement than full-blown quantum computers.
