All Stories
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Flatland: An Edition with Notes and Commentary
by Edwin A. Abbott, notes by William F. Lindgren and Thomas F. Banchoff.
- Psychology
Researchers find early autism signs in some kids
A long-term investigation raises the possibility of identifying 14-month-olds who will develop autism spectrum disorder almost two years later.
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Science Future for March 27, 2010
April 23 Celebrate National DNA Day through a webchat with NIH researchers. Go to www.genome.gov/10506367 April 26 – 30 Scientists and engineers meet in Nottingham, England, to discuss the science of quantum dots. See www.qd2010.org May 14 Deadline for receipt of nominations for AAAS fellows. Download forms at www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/fellows
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Science Past from the issue of March 26, 1960
HIDDEN WATER TRACED BY BOMB FALLOUT IN RAIN — Radioactive fallout from atom bomb tests can be used to seek out and “expose” new sources of drinking water that lie hidden deep in the earth…. Raindrops have an affinity for absorbing minute particles of tritium from the fallout left in the atmosphere after nuclear bomb […]
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Letters
Ancient graffiti Regarding “Graffiti on the walls in Pompeii” (SN: 01/30/10, p. 14), I remember reading some years ago about graffiti being discovered in Pompeii. There was even a symbol that researchers interpreted as a sort of “Kilroy was here.” Is this an ongoing study? New sites? I wonder if there were other markings, such […]
- Health & Medicine
Cats attracted to ADHD drug, a feline poison
Since 2004, drugs designed for use by people have been the leading source of poisonings among companion animals, according to the national Animal Poison Control Center in Urbana, Ill. And among cats, Adderall – a combination of mixed amphetamine salts used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – has quickly risen to become one of the most common and dangerous of these pharmaceutical threats.
- Space
Magnetic flows cause sunspot lows, study shows
Observations of gas flows on the solar surface may explain why the sun recently had such a prolonged case of the doldrums; could lead to more accurate predictions for the duration and severity of future solar cycles.
- Physics
For quantum computer, add a dash of disorder
Flawed crystals could help couple light to matter and may compete with more perfectly ordered materials.
- Health & Medicine
For a lucky few, ‘dioxins’ might be heart healthy
Dioxins and their kin are notorious poisons. They work by turning on what many biologists had long assumed was a vestigial receptor with no natural beneficial role. But it now appears that in a small proportion of people, this receptor may confer heart benefits.
- Health & Medicine
Temporary hearing impairment leads to ‘lazy ear’
A rodent study shows that even after ear infections clear up, brain rewiring may cause long-term hearing problems.
- Health & Medicine
First complete look at families’ genes
Comparing the complete genetic material of family members pinpoints genes involved in three rare inherited diseases.
- Chemistry
Polymer shifts shape with changing temperature
Common material’s ‘memory’ could be exploited for smart fabrics or other gadgets.
