Uncategorized
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Train Wreck: The Forensics of Rail Disasters by George Bibel
Investigations of 17 accidents help show why trains crash and what those incidents can teach. Johns Hopkins Univ., 2012, 355 p., $29.95
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Dear Future Earthlings
A message in a bottle won’t be enough to communicate with distant generations.
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Into the Fold
Flat structures pop into 3-D forms, yielding miniature robots and tools.
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Families in Flux
As household arrangements take new directions, scientists attempt to sort out the social effects.
- Humans
Genetic diversity exploded in recent millennia
Among hundreds of thousands of DNA variants identified in a study, a large majority arose in the past 5,000 years.
- Life
Blue whales’ diet and exercise rolled into one
Marine predator performs underwater acrobatics for best chance at catching a meal.
- Health & Medicine
Auditory test predicts coma awakening
While all patients in a new study could discriminate between sounds early on, those whose ability improved during the first 48 hours wound up recovering.
- Life
Trees worldwide a sip away from dehydration
Plumbing systems operate on a razor’s edge, making even moist forests highly vulnerable to drought.
- Space
Glimpse at early universe finds expansion slowdown
BOSS project looks at acceleration rate before dark energy hit the gas.
- Life
Chromosome ends hold clues to a bird’s longevity
Short telomeres are tied to higher mortality in Indian Ocean warblers.
- Earth
Mexican silver made it into English coins
Chemical tests of currency help reveal where New World riches flowed.
- Psychology
Highlights from the Psychonomic Society annual meeting
Summaries from the conference held November 15-18 in Minneapolis.
