More Stories from the March 9, 2002 issue
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Kids’ ADHD tied to snoring, sleepiness
Heavy snoring may contribute to the development of hyperactivity and attention problems in some children, especially boys age 8 and younger.
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A bitter taste in your . . . stomach
The stomach may be able to "taste" bitter substances.
- Astronomy
Martian equator: A watery outpost?
A catastrophic outpouring of water—four times the volume contained in Lake Tahoe—may have gushed from fissures near the equator on Mars as recently as 10 million years ago.
- Physics
Star in a Jar? Hints of nuclear fusion found—maybe
In a bench-top experiment, atomic nuclei may have fused inside rapidly imploding bubbles of vapor in a liquid bombarded by sound waves, but many scientists find the evidence for bubble fusion unconvincing.
- Earth
Space Rocks’ Demo Job: Asteroids, not comets, pummeled early Earth
An analysis of trace elements found in a variety of meteorites suggests that most of the heavenly objects that rained hell on the inner solar system about 3.9 billion years ago were asteroids, not comets.
- Earth
When the Mercury Falls: Autumn leaves taint river with poison
Fall foliage that collects in stagnant waterways could release significant doses of a highly toxic form of mercury, which has the potential to accumulate in fish living far downstream.
- Planetary Science
Odyssey’s First Look: Craft spies signs of ice at the Martian south pole
Astronomers have for the first time found evidence of large amounts of frozen water in the subsurface of Mars.
- Health & Medicine
Genetic Culprit: Mutation increases risk for uterine fibroids
Analysis of DNA from families whose women have been beset by uterine growths reveals a mutation that can predispose women to these so-called fibroids.
- Anthropology
DNA Diaspora: Humanity may share tangled genetic roots
A controversial new genetic analysis concludes that Homo sapiens evolved by expanding out of Africa in multiple waves beginning at least 600,000 years ago and then interbreeding, rather than totally replacing close relatives such as the Neandertals.
- Earth
Underground Soil Economy: Microbes hidden in the dirt react to UV boost
The community of soil microbes may live hidden in the ground, but it still changes when there's more ultraviolet radiation above.
- Health & Medicine
Is HAART hard on the heart?
Two studies came to opposite conclusions on whether multiple-drug regimens known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for people with AIDS also contribute to heart trouble.
- Health & Medicine
Genes predict allergies to drug
Genetic differences among people infected with HIV might help identify the 5 percent of patients who will suffer allergic reactions when given the antiretroviral drug abacavir.
- Health & Medicine
New drugs help battle HIV
Three potential drugs in development rely on novel tactics for attacking the virus that causes AIDS.
- Health & Medicine
Two steps forward, one step back
Just a few days after the National Institutes of Health announced it was canceling a large AIDS-vaccine trial, researchers reported preliminary results from a new vaccine that appears safe.
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Channel Surfing
The newly revealed three-dimensional structures of proteins called ion channels reveal the secrets of their crucial function.
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A Maverick Reclaimed
A small band of researchers wants to resuscitate the ideas of Egon Brunswik, a brilliant but tragic psychologist who died almost 50 years ago.
