More Stories from the July 5, 2008 issue
- Archaeology
Footprints in the ash
Humans may have been walking around what is now central Mexico 40,000 years ago.
- Chemistry
Life before proteins
Spheres of fat suggest a way that life on Earth could have gotten started.
- Earth
A rapid rise for the Andes
New evidence suggests that the South American mountain chain shot up 2.5 kilometers in a geological blink of an eye.
- Archaeology
Acrobat’s last tumble
Sacrificial offerings in an ancient Mesopotamian building included a beheaded acrobat, a new skeletal analysis suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Sun up
Men with lower concentrations of vitamin D have higher risk of heart attack.
- Paleontology
A mammoth divide
Woolly mammoths roamed Siberia in two distinct clans, and the split between the groups, scientists say, is surprisingly deep, occurring more than 1 million years ago.
- Humans
Symbolic snacks
Capuchin monkeys can reason with tokens as they do with different foods, demonstrating a basic capacity for thinking symbolically.
- Climate
Goldilocks tree leaves
Leaves mostly keep their cool (or warmth) wherever they live, a finding that might affect reconstructions of past climates.
- Health & Medicine
Seeing disease’s acidic side
Small tumors can be detected using a new technique that safely, reliably and noninvasively measures tissue chemistry.
- Astronomy
From planet to plutoid
Pluto and its dwarf planet neighbors are christened plutoids, the International Astronomical Union rules.
- Health & Medicine
No babies, no hormones
A radically different form of contraception would prevent pregnancies with small molecules of RNA.
- Earth
Unintended consequences
A full recovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica in the coming years could significantly boost warming of the atmosphere over and around the icy continent.
- Archaeology
Resurrection of a biblical tree
Date palm pit found at Masada sprouts at age 2,000, becoming the oldest known seed to germinate.
- Astronomy
Otherworldly triple play
Astronomers have discovered the first known system of three superEarths beyond the solar system.
- Health & Medicine
Good news for coffeeholics
When lifestyle factors like smoking were taken into account, coffee drinkers had lower death rates than their non-drinking peers, according to a study of more than 120,000 people.
- Planetary Science
Surprise found in comet dust
Scientists find an odd mineral that could offer clues to the solar system's origins.
- Chemistry
Catching your breath
Scientists are investigating how to use the human breath to diagnose diseases and environmental ills.
- Psychology
Simpleminded Voters
An innovative research technique has led researchers to conclude that well-informed voters often use simple rules of thumb to sift through mountains of campaign information and pick the candidate who best reflects their own political views.
- Astronomy
ExtraSolar
Astronomers hope that new tools will enable them to capture the first image of one of the 300 known planets orbiting distant stars.
- Plants
Forest invades tundra
The Arctic tundra is under assault from trees, with serious implications for global climate change.
