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Science Future for July 19, 2008
Upcoming events in science featured in July 19, 2008 issue of Science News.
By Science News -
From Science News Letter, July 19, 1958
RUSSIANS TEST ACCELERATOR — Russian scientists reported the first results of experiments with their atom-smasher, the world’s largest, to the 1958 Annual International Conference on High Energy Physics in Geneva, Switzerland. Their studies showed the hard core of a proton, a fundamental particle of the atomic nucleus and a building block for all matter, shrinks […]
By Science News -
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Stranded: A whale of a mystery
Scientists generally agree that sonar can trigger strandings of certain whales, but no one really knows what leads these deep divers to the beach.
- Physics
Large Hadron Collider
When the Large Hadron Collider powers up this fall, protons moving at almost the speed of light will collide with energies high enough, physicists hope, to solve matter’s biggest mysteries.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Sick and down
To fight off an infection or illness, the body shifts into a slow-down mode that mirrors some symptoms of depression. In fact, scientists now think the immune response itself may even cause the mood disorder.
By Amy Maxmen - Science & Society
Seeding liberal arts courses with science parables
In the July 19 Comment, Dudley Herschbach, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in chemistry, discusses how to infuse scientific ideas into humanities education with an aim of increasing overall scientific literacy. Herschbach is Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Society for Science & the Public.
- Psychology
Lie defectives
A new analysis challenges the view that a few people with special experience can detect others’ lies with great accuracy.
By Bruce Bower - Agriculture
Farm life turns male toads female
A detailed inventory of toads in Florida finds that, as land becomes more agricultural, more cane toads resemble females both inside and out.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
SIDS and serotonin
Study finds brain chemical deficiency causing sudden death in mice could be linked to SIDS
- Space
Messages from Mercury
Data collected by the MESSENGER spacecraft as it flew past Mercury last January has revealed the origin of the planet’s magnetic field, discovered evidence of early volcanic activity and provided a first look at the planet’s surface composition.
By Ron Cowen - Life
Fountain of Youth, with caveats
A chemical in red wine thought to mimic the life-extending properties of calorie restriction improves health, but doesn’t necessarily lengthen life; it could also harm the brain.