Uncategorized
- Earth
Warning: Slow down for whales
To protect a major population of right whales, the U.S. government is proposing periodic go-slow rules for big ships passing through the animals' migration routes.
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19707
Scientists seek environments that are weightless, near-perfect vacuums in which to conduct experiments. If genuine cloaking were achieved, I would expect there would be a host of experiments that might be conducted in “perfect darkness”—environments free of various energy wavelengths. Bernard RiceHinsdale, Ill.
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- Tech
Smells Like the Real Thing
Chemical sensors that take cues from the mammalian pattern-based approach to identifying odors and flavors create colorful readouts that even the eyes can distinguish.
- Earth
Visiting RadTown
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an interactive Web site that uses an animated town to provide basic information on radiation in the environment—from lasers in a stadium light show to x rays at the dentist’s office. This virtual community shows the wide variety of radiation sources commonly encountered in everyday life. The site […]
- Humans
From the July 4, 1936, issue
Tiny stratosphere probes, neutron rays for medicine, and secrets of ancient bones.
- Tech
Power Play: Shift from loss to gain may boost silicon devices
By tapping solar cell-like behavior in a silicon optical amplifier, engineers have shown that light-manipulating components made from silicon can become power recyclers rather than power wasters, an advance that boosts prospects for silicon optical devices.
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Feminine Side of ADHD: Attention disorder has lasting impact on girls
Many girls diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as grade-schoolers struggle with a variety of problems related to that condition as teenagers, even though their hyperactive symptoms often ease.
- Animals
Dawn Sneaks: Old birds sing early, cuckold sleepyheads
Among European birds called blue tits, older males join the springtime dawn chorus extra early—which may signal their charms to philandering females.
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Smoke Screen: Light cigarettes reduce odds of quitting
People who smoke light cigarettes are much less likely to quit smoking than people who smoke regulars.
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Young and Deadly: Cancer shares gene activity with developing lungs
Genes that are switched on or off in developing mouse lungs have similar activities in human-lung cancers.
- Astronomy
Repaired Vision: Hubble’s camera sees again
The main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope is operating normally again after being blinded for 2 weeks by an electrical failure.
