Uncategorized
- Health & Medicine
Arteries may be vulnerable to HIV attack
HIV may directly interact with cells in arteries, predisposing people to heart attacks.
By John Travis - Chemistry
Feline stimulant fends off mosquitoes
Preliminary results suggest that catnip may be more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the widely used chemical DEET.
- Astronomy
Galaxy’s Black Hole: X Rays Mark Spot
An X-ray outburst from the center of our galaxy is providing compelling new evidence that a monster black hole lurks at the Milky Way's core.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Immunity’s Eyes
Proteins called toll-like receptors allow human immune cells to detect microbes.
By John Travis - Earth
Aircraft spies on health of coral reefs
Marine ecologists report the development of a new remote-sensing system that can assess the health of coral reefs from planes.
By Janet Raloff -
A tip of the tongue to the brain
Researchers have identified several brain areas that together underlie the experience of feeling certain that a piece of forgotten information is nonetheless on the tip of one's tongue.
By Bruce Bower -
Audiovisual aids may lessen dyslexia
A short training course in matching sound sequences with visual patterns shows promise as a way to boost reading skills in children with dyslexia.
By Bruce Bower -
Seabird makes citrusy bug repellant
Auklet feathers carry a cocktail of citrus-smelling chemicals, including compounds that squashbugs secrete to repel predators.
By Susan Milius -
Geneticists define new elephant species
A new study of the genetics of African elephants shows that forest dwellers differ so much from those roaming the savannas that the two may be separate species.
By Susan Milius -
Human Cloning
Did you miss last month’s National Academy of Sciences workshop on scientific and medical aspects of human cloning? You can listen to the recorded presentations via RealPlayer (use the links at Workshop Agenda) and view the accompanying slides (see Speaker Presentations). Go to: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/COSEPUP/Workshop_Agenda.html –updated 8/26/03–VM.
By Science News -
From the September 5, 1931, issue
SEEING EYE TO EYE WITH A WHITE WASP The medieval Japanese, who sometimes closed up the fronts of their helmets with ferocious metal masks painted with vivid war paint, knew the right psychology for hand-to-hand encounters. It is much more disconcerting to be confronted with an immobile, wholly artificial hobgoblin face than to see that […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Milk seems to guard against breast cancer
Norwegian scientists have linked high milk consumption to low incidence of breast cancer.
By Janet Raloff