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In this article, the statement is made that personal environmental exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are easily solved. The implication is that if you have a long commute and are thereby exposed to high concentrations of VOCs, you should just quit your job to avoid exposure. I find that completely absurd. Mark PalmerRichland, Wash. […]
By Science News -
AnimalsWhale Haunt: Nursing, feeding spot found off south Chile
A survey along the coast of southern Chile has turned up a previously undocumented blue whale hangout that seems to be a feeding ground.
By Susan Milius -
PhysicsTopsy Turvy: In neutrons and protons, quarks take wrong turns
Revved-up particles, namely quarks, spinning inside neutrons in the opposite direction to that of the neutrons themselves, challenge the prevailing model of how quarks behave.
By Peter Weiss -
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Planetary ScienceJourney to Mars
The rugged Mars Exploration Rover (MER) is scheduled to land on Mars on Jan. 4, 2004. A variety of Web sites offer information about the exploration of Mars and Mars rovers. Check out the official MER Web site for background information and up-to-the-minute reports. San Francisco’s Exploratorium Web site highlights various Mars-related activities. Go to: […]
By Science News -
EarthNew technique dates glaze on desert rocks
Scientists have developed a quick, easy, portable, and nondestructive way to determine the age of desert varnish, the mysterious dark coating that slowly develops on rocks in many arid regions of the world.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthNewfound fault may explain quakes
Tsunami simulations suggest that a newly discovered fault zone beneath the Atlantic Ocean could have released most of the seismic energy from three earthquakes that destroyed Lisbon, Portugal, on the morning of Nov. 1, 1755.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthAlaska shook, mountains spoke
Small pulses in atmospheric pressure detected in Fairbanks soon after the magnitude 7.9 Denali quake on Nov. 3, 2002, suggest that the temblor literally moved mountains.
By Sid Perkins -
EarthEarth sometimes shivers beneath thick blankets of ice
New analyses of old seismic data have distinguished the ground motions spawned by a previously unrecognized type of earthquake—quakes created by brief surges of massive glaciers.
By Sid Perkins -
Planetary ScienceLunar finding doesn’t hold water
A new radar study of craters at the moon's north and south poles reveals that neither region contains substantial amounts of frozen water.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & MedicineProtein found central to ecstasy fever
Scientists have identified a protein contributing to the high fevers that are sometimes generated by the drug ecstasy.
By John Travis -
EarthThin Skin
Desert pavement, a delicate veneer of stones that covers the surface of up to 50 percent of the world's arid lands, is susceptible to being damaged by everything from multi-ton tanks to careless footsteps, and the resulting scars can take thousands of years to mend on their own.
By Sid Perkins