More Stories from the July 29, 2000 issue
- Physics
Matter’s Missing Piece Shows Up
The first direct evidence of the tau neutrino, the last of the 12 subatomic particles considered the fundamental building blocks of matter, has finally been found.
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Study of stimulant therapy raises concerns
A community survey in North Carolina indicates that many children receiving stimulant treatment don't have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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Mom, is that you? Seals show family recall
Researchers found that northern fur seal mothers and offspring in Alaska remember and respond to each other's calls for as long as 4 years, the first demonstration of such long-term recall in a mammal species other than humans.
- Astronomy
Telescope finds tiny moon of Jupiter
Astronomers reported the discovery of Jupiter's 17th known moon, the first Jovian moon discovered in 25 years and perhaps the tiniest known satellite of any planet.
- Earth
Newfound gas is greenhouse powerhouse
Scientists have detected in the atmosphere for the first time a gas that traps heat more effectively than any other previously found there.
- Materials Science
A new carbon nanotool springs to life
Physicists have pulled out the inside cylinders of multiwall carbon nanotubes, as if expanding a telescope, indicating how the devices may serve as tiny bearings and springs in future nanomachines.
- Health & Medicine
Molecule may protect against kidney damage
People with a gene for the protein called apoE-IV are less likely to have the dangerous complication of kidney failure after a heart-bypass operation than are people who make other versions of the protein.
- Astronomy
A comet’s chilly origin
Astronomers have detected argon in comet Hale-Bopp, the first time an inert gas has been found in one of these icy bodies and an indication that the comet formed in the frigid outer solar system between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
- Astronomy
X-ray flare from a dim source
An X-ray flare coming from a old, failed star has surprised astronomers.
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Looking for the brain’s g force
Controversial evidence suggests that a frontal-brain network underlies psychological measures of general intelligence.
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When autism aids memory
People with autism may often have a superior memory for factual details, possibly because of their inability to use context in remembering information.
- Earth
Living routes to toxic routs
Scientists are developing novel techniques for removing perchlorate, a potentially carcinogenic pollutant, from water.
- Earth
China: A mercury megapolluter
China's heavy reliance on coal burning makes it a world leader in mercury air pollution.
- Earth
Methylmercury’s toxic toll
More than 60,000 children are born each year with neurodevelopmental impairments due to their prenatal exposure to methylmercury.
- Earth
When do EMFs disturb the heart?
Whether electromagnetic fields can blunt the healthy variability in heart rate may depend on an exposed individual being aroused or stressed during exposure.
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