Vol. 163 No. #8
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More Stories from the February 22, 2003 issue

  1. Archaeology

    Farming sprouted in ancient Ecuador

    Analyses of microscopic plant remains from two archaeological sites indicate that people began to grow squash in Ecuador's lowlands between 10,000 and 9,000 years ago, when agriculture was also taking root in Mexico.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Carbon monoxide may limit vascular damage

    Carbon monoxide given in small doses to rats can prevent injury to blood vessels caused by surgery.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Hold the Phone? Radiation from cell phones hurts rats’ brains

    A single 2-hour exposure to the microwaves emitted by some cell phones kills brain cells in rats.

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  4. Anthropology

    Evolution’s DNA Fusion: Hybrid gene forms clue to human, ape origins

    A gene of mixed evolutionary pedigree may have transformed mammalian reproduction, leading to the evolution of apes and humans.

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  5. Planetary Science

    Martian Gullies: Carved by melting snow?

    Melting snow may have sculpted the recently formed gullies found at midlatitudes on Mars.

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  6. Dirty RATS: Campaign ad may have swayed voters subliminally

    Psychological research sparked by a controversial campaign advertisement aired during the 2000 presidential election suggests that the 30-second spot—which briefly flashed "RATS"—may have negatively affected viewers’ opinions of Democratic candidate Al Gore.

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  7. Cult Anthrax: Stored slime reveals why release went undetected

    A U.S. anthrax geneticist tells the story behind his work figuring out how Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo released anthrax into Tokyo but people didn't notice anything except a nasty smell.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Full Pipeline: Success of experimental AIDS drugs offers promise of future therapies

    Three experimental drugs—a monoclonal antibody, a protease inhibitor, and a fusion inhibitor—performed well in early tests on AIDS patients.

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  9. Earth

    If It’s Wet in Malaysia . . . : Afghan droughts linked to rain in Indian Ocean

    An analysis of nearly 2 decades of weather patterns suggests a link between an abundance of precipitation in the eastern Indian Ocean and a lack of rain in portions of southwestern Asia.

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  10. Physics

    Electronic Acrobats: Tidily tweaking electrons’ twirls

    The first demonstration of three-dimensional, electrical control of a quantum property of electrons known as spin marks an important step toward a new type of spin-based electronics and, possibly, quantum computers.

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  11. Earth

    Proof of Burden

    Two teams of scientists report that the blood and urine of most Americans contain toxic cocktails of metals, artificial hormones, and chemical ingredients of plastics, flame retardants, pesticides, herbicides, and disinfectants.

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  12. Mining the Mouse

    Recent analyses of the mouse genome illuminate human health and evolution.

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  13. Math

    Knotty Calculations

    An alternative approach to quantum computing takes advantage of space-time knots and braids.

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