Uncategorized

  1. 19104

    In this article Swedish scientists report finding “as much as 200 µg/kg [of acrylamide] in mashed potatoes,” while stating in a subsequent paragraph that boiling potatoes “appeared to generate none.” I am curious to know how they make mashed potatoes in Sweden. I always boil mine. Paul NelsonHouston, Texas You state that boiled potatoes have […]

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Cooking Up a Carcinogen

    The discovery that acrylamide—a known animal carcinogen—forms in many foods as they fry or bake has prompted the development of an international research network to investigate whether it poses a threat.

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  3. Chemistry

    Don’t eat the pepper-flavored paint

    A derivative of the spicy chemical in chili peppers could find its way into a variety of products, including veterinary sutures and fiber optic cables.

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  4. Chemistry

    Glowing bacteria gobble gook in soil

    A genetically engineered bacterium lights up as it breaks down organic contaminants in soil.

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  5. Nogo makes cord regrowth a no go

    Researchers have identified the gene for a protein that inhibits the regrowth of nerves in the spinal cord.

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  6. Protein may help the eyes tell time

    A human version of melanopsin, originally found in the skin, eyes, and brains of frogs, has been discovered in the inner retina and may be the long-sought photoreceptor for the human biological clock.

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  7. Astronomy

    A chance to point Hubble

    Get out your heavenly wish list: Astronomers working with the Hubble Space Telescope are soliciting suggestions for where to point the orbiting observatory this summer.

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  8. Astronomy

    A possible signal from Polar Lander

    Astronomers may have heard a faint signal from the vanished Mars Polar Lander spacecraft last month but, as of mid-February, have not detected another.

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  9. 19105

    As a trainer of tracking dogs, I was interested in your article about attempts to duplicate electronically the scenting ability of dogs. Even if these expensive, high-tech artificial dog noses are successful, however, they are not likely to be of much benefit to the “62 countries worldwide” strewn with “more than 100 million land mines.” […]

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  10. Tech

    Eau, Brother!

    The combination of advanced sensor materials and powerful computer chips promises devices that can sense threats ranging from bacteria in food to explosives in land mines.

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  11. Physics

    Hunting for Higher Dimensions

    Inspired by recent theoretical insights, physicists at accelerators and gravitational laboratories are searching for clues to dimensions beyond the four dimensions of space-time.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Pancreatic enzymes may play role in shock

    Pancreatic enzymes used for digestion may cause shock when they leach out of the small intestine and form a substance that activates white blood cells.

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