More Stories from the May 1, 2004 issue
- Planetary Science
Rovers in overtime
NASA has extended the missions of the twin Mars rovers by 5 months, through September 2004.
- Health & Medicine
CT scan no match for colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is better at detecting potentially dangerous colon polyps than computed tomography scanning is.
- Earth
Hurricanes churn up life-nurturing brews
Images of the North Atlantic taken from orbit suggest that hurricanes churn the ocean's surface enough to bring cool, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, thereby stimulating algal blooms that can last for weeks.
- Health & Medicine
Experimental drug boosts HDL counts
An experimental drug can dramatically increase blood concentrations of high-density lipoprotein, the beneficial cholesterol.
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Body’s sweet move can protect heart
Animal studies suggest that the body attempts to protect itself from heart attacks during brief periods of oxygen deprivation by temporarily modifying heart-muscle proteins.
- Health & Medicine
Proteins mark ALS
Scientists reported finding what appears to be the first diagnostic test for Lou Gehrig's disease, potentially shaving a year off of when targeted treatment for the disease can begin.
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SIDS trigger? It’s too darn hot
Overheating, as might occur if a baby were swaddled in a warm room, might predispose some babies to prolonged breathing lapses and sudden infant death syndrome, animal experiments indicate.
- Health & Medicine
Exercise boosts sugar’s taste
Studies in runners and in animals indicate that exercise increases an individual's sensitivity to sweetness.
- Tech
Injectable Medibots: Programmable DNA could diagnose and treat cancer
Researchers have created a miniature DNA computer that can detect cancer genes in a test tube and respond by releasing a drug.
- Animals
Din among the Orcas: Are whale watchers making too much noise?
Whale-watching boats may be making so much noise that killer whales off the coast of Washington have to change their calls to communicate over the racket.
- Archaeology
Stone Age Combustion: Fire use proposed at ancient Israeli site
A Stone Age site in Israel contains the oldest evidence of controlled fire use in Asia or Europe, from around 750,000 years ago, a research team reports.
- Earth
Harm from Plastic Additive Challenged: Early exposure shows no ill effects
Presumed exposure shortly after birth to a chemical ingredient in plastics shows no evidence of disrupting development in people, according to a small study of teens who, as newborns, received intensive medical care involving plastic hospital equipment.
- Health & Medicine
Unsettling Association: Dental X rays linked to low-birth-weight babies
Getting dental X rays while pregnant might increase a woman's risk of giving birth to a low-birth-weight baby.
- Humans
Mouse Mourned: Yoda dies at age 4
An age-defying laboratory mouse known as Yoda died peacefully in his cage in Ann Arbor, Mich., on April 22, at the age of 4 years and 12 days.
- Earth
It’s a Gas: Trees emit unknown volatile substances
The chemical reactions taking place just above a northern Michigan forest hint that trees there and elsewhere may be emitting highly reactive gaseous substances that scientists haven't yet identified or directly detected.
- Physics
The Electron’s Other Charge: Workhorse of electricity shows its weak side
Although electrons are nonnuclear particles, they exert a feeble nuclear force on each other when they snuggle up close, a new experiment shows.
- Chemistry
Space Invaders
Recent astronomical observations and sophisticated lab experiments portray space as a breeding ground for complex organic molecules, the likes of which may have jump-started life on Earth.
- Health & Medicine
Coffee, Spices, Wine
Several dietary agents, including coffee, wine, and cinnamon, appear to restore some of the body's responsiveness to insulin, potentially slowing diabetes' onset or ravages.
- Humans
Letters from the May 1, 2004, issue of Science News
Skins game I know some people who carefully shield their bodies from the sun with sunscreen and clothing, and their skin is extremely pale. But if tanning acts as a protector (“Sunny Solution: Lotion speeds DNA repair, protects mice from skin cancer,” SN: 3/6/04, p. 147: Sunny Solution: Lotion speeds DNA repair, protects mice from […]
