Uncategorized
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19802
Among estrogenic pollutants, by far the worst offender is 17-alpha ethinyl estradiol, the most common estrogen in oral contraceptives used by tens of millions of women. This synthetic steroid is of necessity non-biodegradable, at least by human liver. Otherwise, it would not work as a pill. Joel BrindCity University of New YorkNew York, N.Y.
- Math
Ancient Islamic Penrose Tiles
Medieval Islamic artisans developed a process for creating elaborate, nonrepeating patterns now associated with Penrose tiles.
- Humans
From the February 27, 1937, issue
Testing thermometers, measuring clouds, and a very useful mineral.
- Humans
Lucid Movement
Lucid Movement is a regularly updated video blog that documents the world through the lens of a high-speed video camera. The resulting videos give viewers unique perspectives on a wide range of phenomena in the world around them, depicting motions that are ordinarily too fast for the human eye to see. Go to: http://www.lucidmovement.com/
- Paleontology
Ancient slowpoke
A 1-centimeter-long, 505-million-year-old fossil from British Columbia represents a creature that joins two lineages of marine invertebrates from that era that scientists previously hadn't linked.
- Earth
Equal Opportunity Outcome: Different pollutants show same impact
At concentrations present in the environment, each of three dissimilar toxic agents can seize control of a signaling pathway that regulates developing cells in the central nervous system.
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19801
This article describes an elegant study. I found the 7 percent addiction-susceptible figure interestingly similar to the 10 percent of people who drink alcohol who become addicted. I wonder if similar percentages of other species are impulsive and vulnerable. Ellen WaggenerPoughkeepsie, N.Y.
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Natural-Born Addicts: Brain differences may herald drug addiction
Differences in the behavior and the brain receptors of rats seem to predict which of the rodents will become cocaine addicted.
- Planetary Science
Stormy Weather in Space: Craft take panoramic view of solar eruptions
Twin spacecraft have for the first time tracked solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections, from their birth in the lower depths of the sun's atmosphere all the way to Earth's orbit.
- Animals
Snail Highways: By following trails, periwinkles save slime
A snail that follows another snail's slimy path saves energy by not having to secrete so much mucus.
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19800
E. Fred Schubert and his colleagues are to be congratulated for developing an improved antireflective coating. But the coating would not make a lens “absorb” more light. Rather, it would help the lens “propagate” the light. Nathaniel L. CohenSan Diego, Calif. “Absorb” probably was a poor word choice in reference to a lens. The point […]
- Materials Science
The New Black: A nanoscale coating reflects almost no light
A "carpet" of microscopic filaments sprayed onto a surface can prevent it from reflecting light, a potentially useful trait for technologies from solar cells to fiber-optic communications.
