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19434
I was surprised to find no mention of Linus Pauling’s theory of anesthesia in this article. In 1961, Pauling provided detailed arguments that interactions between anesthetic agents and water, rather than lipids, form hydrate microcrystals in the brain that entrap side chains of proteins and interfere with electrical oscillations. Stephen Lawson Linus Pauling Institute Corvallis, […]
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Comfortably Numb
Scientists are finding the molecular targets of anesthetics.
- Math
Dogs Catching Frisbees
When navigating to intercept a thrown Frisbee, dogs appear to use the same geometric strategy that a baseball fielder employs to snag a fly ball hit into the outfield.
- Earth
Long dry spell
Falling reservoir levels in the western United States are just one symptom that the region is suffering through a drought that may be the worst to strike in the past 500 years.
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When Protein Breakdown Breaks Down: Bacterial toxin yields signs of Parkinson’s
Certain compounds that hinder cells from destroying waste proteins can produce symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rats.
- Materials Science
Cool Magnet: A little bit of iron gives magnetic refrigeration a boost
An improved material moves magnetic refrigeration one step closer to commercial reality.
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Mr. Universe Jr.: Child’s gene mutation confirms protein’s role in human-muscle growth
A boy born with extra-large muscles has mutations in a gene regulating muscle growth.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer with a Twist: Protein instrumental in breast-cancer metastasis
A protein called Twist, which orchestrates gene activity in cells, facilitates the spread of some breast cancers.
- Anthropology
Stone Age Ear for Speech: Ancient finds sound off on roots of language
Ancestors of Neandertals that lived at least 350,000 years ago heard the same range of sounds that people today do, suggesting that the ability to speak arose early in the Stone Age.
- Physics
Misbehavin’ Meson: Perplexing particle flouts the rules
The discovery of what appears to be a new subatomic particle with bizarre properties is challenging theorists' understanding of how matter behaves.
- Animals
Hot Bother: Ground squirrels taunt in infrared
California ground squirrels broadcast an infrared signal when confronting a rattlesnake.
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19433
I don’t think anyone should be surprised that squirrels have figured out how to say “nyah, nyah” to rattlesnakes. After all, it’s what they’ve been saying to cats, dogs, and bird-feeder owning humans for years. R. Kelly WagnerAustin, Texas
