More Stories from the April 30, 2005 issue
- Paleontology
Early mammal had newfangled fangs
A tiny mammal that lived in Colorado about 150 million years ago had hollow teeth that lacked enamel, a characteristic that didn't reappear in mammals for another 100 million years.
- Health & Medicine
Licorice ingredient ferrets out herpes
A compound in licorice homes in on lab-grown cells infected with a herpes virus and induces them to self-destruct.
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Many cyanobacteria make a neurotoxin
A brain-damaging toxin, once believed to come only from a group of tropical plants and their live-in microbes, turns out to be much more widespread.
- Health & Medicine
When the stomach gets low on acid
A study in mice shows that a shortage of stomach acid can lead to cancer, apparently as a result of bacterial overgrowth and inflammation.
- Planetary Science
Far-out science
New measurements show that the planetoid Sedna spins more rapidly than earlier observations had suggested.
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When opposites don’t attract
The quirks of two kinds of European corn borers are giving researchers a way to study how a single species might split in two.
- Earth
Oysters under siege: Heat and pollution
With global warming, some polluted waters could become graveyards for certain shellfish.
- Health & Medicine
Zinc boosts kids’ learning
Zinc fortification improved mental skills in children with normal healthy diets, suggesting that the recommended intake for this mineral may need to be raised.
- Health & Medicine
Neuron Savers: Gene therapy slows Alzheimer’s disease
Putting extra copies of the gene for a cellular growth factor into the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease appears to slow the degenerative condition.
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Losing Sleep: Mutant flies need less shut-eye
The ability to get by on little sleep may have a strong genetic component, according to a new study in fruit flies.
- Agriculture
Insecticide Inside: Gene-modified rice cuts chemical spraying in China
In the hands of Chinese farmers, varieties of rice genetically modified to fend off insects reduce pesticide use and increase crop yields.
- Chemistry
The Proper Popper: Corn kernel’s chemistry is key to its ka-pop
The secret to better popcorn popping is the crystalline structure of the kernel's hull.
- Earth
Bed of Armor: Large rocks hold fast in flooding streams
The relative proportions of rocks of various sizes in gravel-lined streams remain constant, even during substantial floods.
- Astronomy
Shell of a finding
A new X-ray portrait of a supernova remnant suggests that this shell of hot gas may be hard to discern if the interstellar medium around the exploded star has extremely low density.
- Ecosystems
Where Tuna Go: Atlantic fish mix for feeding, not spawning
The largest high-tech tag study yet of Atlantic bluefin tuna suggests that two groups mix on feeding grounds but spawn on opposite sides of the ocean.
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Goal-Oriented Brain Cells: Neurons may track action as a prelude to empathy
Nerve cells located toward the back of a monkey's brain appear to assist in discerning the goals of specific actions.
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Read All about It
Brain studies and cross-cultural investigations indicate that the neural path to becoming a good reader varies, depending on a person's inherent capacity for assessing print and on the design principles of his or her native writing system.
- Planetary Science
The Huygens Chronicles
After several months of painstaking work analyzing data from the Huygens probe, planetary scientists are able to see the surface of Saturn's moon Titan in greater detail than ever before.
- Humans
Letters from the April 30, 2005, issue of Science News
Supplemental information Vitamin E Loses Luster: Nutrient tests show disappointing results” (SN: 3/19/05, p. 182) is the fourth time I’ve seen a report that vitamin E may not be appropriate for elderly people at cardiac risk. Detailed statistics are always given, but one fact is always omitted: what type of vitamin E was used in […]
