Uncategorized

  1. 19072

    This article describes the use of interference patterns from laser light sources to measure the effects of gravity waves. This might lead one to conjecture whether there is an interference pattern that gravity waves by themselves might produce. A gravitational interference effect would correspond to gravitational “fringes” with more or less gravity and, therefore, areas […]

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  2. Physics

    Catch a Wave

    Detection of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein's 1916 general theory of relativity may finally occur, thanks to a new generation of laser-based observatories.

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  3. Anthropology

    Ishi’s Long Road Home

    The reappearance of a California Indian's preserved brain, held at the Smithsonian Institution since 1917, triggers debate over the ethics of anthropological research and the repatriation process.

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  4. 19012

    I remember reading about Ishi back in the 1970s when I was a teenager, and I was saddened anew by the story of the repatriation of his preserved brain. I hope that Alfred and Theodora Kroeber’s child, novelist Ursula K. LeGuin, will at some point take up the intriguing question posed in your story. How […]

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  5. Materials Science

    Tiny gems on steps find future in films

    The discovery of diamond-crystal seeds on steps in silicon may lead to long-sought, large wafers of pure, single-crystal diamond for electronics and other uses.

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  6. The moon also rises—and assumes new sizes

    The perplexing human tendency to perceive a moon on the horizon as larger than an elevated moon may arise from visual cues indicating that the horizon moon is located much farther away.

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  7. 19011

    I was surprised to learn that scientists have yet to solve the secret of why the moon looks larger when rising. Years ago, I was told by a teacher that the moon looks biggest when rising (or setting) because the observer is looking through more atmosphere, and thus its light is scattered more, changing its […]

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Glutamate glut linked to multiple sclerosis

    The chemical glutamate can overwhelm nervous-system cells called oligodendrocytes, adding to the nerve damage caused by wayward immune cells in multiple sclerosis.

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  9. Physics

    Electrical superball pulls itself together

    A strong electric field can drive tiny particles of a superconductor to bind themselves together into a remarkably sturdy ball.

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  10. Blood cues sex choice for parasites

    Malaria parasites shift their female-biased production of offspring toward a more evenly balanced sex ratio as an infection proceeds.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Learning from leprosy’s nerve damage

    The bacterium that causes leprosy directly damages a protective sheathing around many nerve cells.

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  12. 19010

    This article describes the myelin sheath as “made of protein.” However, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (online) provides the following definition of myelin: “a soft white somewhat fatty material …” (emphasis added). Ann M. ThrockmortonLa Mesa, Calif. That’s right. There was an oversimplification in the story. Myelin is made up mostly of lipids .–D. Christensen

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