Archives
More Stories from the January 28, 2012 issue
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HumansFewer fires in Africa these days
How flames spread, not how frequently people start them, controls burning on the continent.
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Life
Drugs activate dormant gene
A compound that blocks DNA unwinding can spur production of a critical brain protein in mice, leading to hope for a therapy for Angelman syndrome.
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Humans
Network analysis predicts drug side effects
A computer technique can foresee adverse events before medications are widely prescribed.
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Life
Pigeons rival primates in number task
Trained on one-two-three, the birds can apply the rule of numerical order to such lofty figures as five and nine.
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Paleontology
Early animals dethroned
Cell division patterns in controversial Chinese fossils place them outside the animal kingdom.
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Life
Staggered lessons may work better
Training at irregular intervals improves learning in sea snails.
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Chemistry
Molecule ties itself in a complex knot
Chemists synthesize a five-crossing structure centered on chloride.
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Life
Sun-oil mix deadly for young herring
Fish embryos proved surprisingly vulnerable to a 2007 spill in San Francisco Bay.
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Physics
Neutrino parents call into question faster-than-light results
The particles’ precursor doesn’t have enough energy to produce the speeds reported.
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Life
Three monkeys a genetic mishmash
Feat suggests embryonic stem cells are less flexible in primates than mice.
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Life
Crabs hither, shrimp thither
Biologists document surprising differences among deep-sea animals at hydrothermal vent fields.
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