More Stories from the August 19, 2006 issue
- Earth
Rogue alga routed
An invasive-species action team has eradicated one of the world's worst weeds, a marine alga, from a California lagoon, its only known foothold in North America.
- Physics
On-chip lamp scores a bull’s-eye
Etching nanoscale, concentric ridges around a lamp-on-a-chip known as a light-emitting diode, or LED, brightens the device's glow seven-fold.
- Earth
Air conditioning could heat the world
Global warming predicted for the coming decades may decrease winter heating bills in some parts of the United States, but producing the extra electricity needed for summertime air conditioning will create increased emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide.
- Tech
Hydrogen hopes in carbon shells
Lithium atoms added to buckyball surfaces bestow on these molecules a remarkable capacity to store hydrogen.
- Tech
Nanotubes signal when engine oil needs changing
A new, easy-to-fabricate sensor made from carbon nanotubes detects when automobile-engine oil needs replacement.
- Animals
Seabirds take record summer vacations
Sooty shearwaters that breed in New Zealand have set a new record for off-season travel, covering 64,000 kilometers between visits to their mating ground.
- Earth
Grand Canyon fish seem to be rebounding
The population of humpback chub, an endangered fish found only in the Colorado River and its tributaries, may be stabilizing in some sections of the Grand Canyon.
- Chemistry
Mulch matters
Mulch made from recycled construction and demolition wood can release arsenic into the environment.
- Astronomy
New Solar System? Twelve planets and counting (Updated)
According to a new proposal, the solar system has 12 planets instead of the familiar 9, with several dozen more to come.
- Health & Medicine
Fewer Drugs, Same Outcome: Simpler HIV regimens are effective
In two studies, AIDS clinicians found that standard three-drug regimens fight HIV as well as four-drug treatments do, and that a single drug might maintain a patient's health once the virus is suppressed.
- Earth
Holy Smoke: Burning incense, candles pollute air in churches
Incense and candles release substantial quantities of pollutants that may harm health.
- Anthropology
Evolution’s DNA Difference: Noncoding gene tied to origin of human brain
Investigators have discovered a gene that shows signs of having evolved rapidly in people and of having made a substantial contribution to the emergence of a uniquely human brain.
- Chemistry
Tricky Transformation: Bubbling gases tighten, then loosen, the grip of novel molecules on grime
New compounds make oil mix with water, or not, depending simply on which gases are bubbled through the water.
- Health & Medicine
Origins of Ache: Immune proteins may yield chronic-pain clues
People with chronic pain that has no underlying disease have low concentrations of proteins in the cytokine family that restrain inflammation.
- Materials Science
Logos to Go: Hydrogel coatings provide removable color
A biodegradable coating could add a temporary splash of color to sports fields, buildings, or even people's bodies.
- Astronomy
The Sun’s Halo in 3-D
A new computer map of the sun's outer atmosphere and spacecraft ready for launch are expected to shed new light on the origin of solar eruptions and provide more accurate warning of their impact on Earth.
- Health & Medicine
The Screen Team
New and experimental methods of screening for colorectal cancer that patients find less unpleasant than current tests could take a bite out of the malignancy's toll.
- Humans
Letters from the August 19, 2006, issue of Science News
Aye carumba Math isn’t the only science that makes it into The Simpsons (“Springfield Theory,” SN: 6/10/06, p. 360). In one episode a few years ago, a meteorite landed near Bart. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Although most people are under the impression that meteorites are extremely hot, they’re not. […]
