More Stories from the July 3, 2004 issue
- Planetary Science
Cometary encounter
Planetary scientists are feasting on close-up images of Comet Wild 2 as well as on the first information about its composition.
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Neurons take charge to change messages
Neurons in a developing embryo respond to changes in their electrical activity by altering the types of chemical messengers that they produce.
- Health & Medicine
Celiac disease affects kids’ minds
Attention deficits and learning disabilities have joined the list of neurological problems associated with the intestinal disorder known as celiac disease.
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Two-handed protein may protect DNA
An unusually shaped protein may help a bacterium thrive in tough times.
- Animals
Jumping spiders buzz, thump when dancing
Some jumping spiders, long considered visually oriented animals, turn out to utilize seismic communication for a successful courtship.
- Animals
Farmer ant species may have lost all its males
A fungus-growing ant may be the first ant species known to have no power of sexual reproduction.
- Animals
Why does a buddy help another male flirt?
The sidekick male in the two-bird courtship display of lance-tailed manakins has to leave when the mating starts but may reap delayed benefits in real estate and performance practice.
- Animals
Ultrasound alarms by ground squirrels
Richardson's ground squirrels may occasionally use ultrasound when calling out in response to a disturbance.
- Health & Medicine
SARS Control: First nasal vaccine effective in monkeys
An experimental SARS vaccine, tested in monkeys, can be administered directly to the respiratory tract and requires only a single dose to confer immunity.
- Tech
Sweet Frequency: Implantable glucose sensor transmits data wirelessly
Modeled after antitheft magnetic strips, a new implantable glucose sensor for diabetes patients could do away with daily pinprick tests.
- Astronomy
Powerhouse Astronomy: Blazing black hole from the early universe
A jet of matter and radiation emanating from a newly discovered black hole could provide a new probe of the first stars and the radiation left over from the Big Bang.
- Health & Medicine
Before the Booze: Cactus extract dulls hangovers
An inflammation-fighting plant extract, taken hours before consuming alcohol, appears to suppress some of the symptoms brought on by a bout of heavy drinking.
- Anthropology
Erectus Experiment: Fossil find expands Stone Age anatomy
A 930,000-year-old fossil cranium found in Africa widens the anatomical spectrum of Stone Age human ancestors and expands debate over how they evolved.
- Plants
Rewriting the Nitrogen Story: Plant cycles nutrient forward and backward
For the first time, a green plant has been found to break down nitrogen-containing compounds into the readily usable form of nitrates, a job usually done by microbes.
- Paleontology
Neck Bones on the Menu: Fossil vertebrae show species interaction
Three fossil neck bones from an ancient flying reptile—one of them with the broken tip of a tooth embedded in it—indicate that the winged creatures occasionally fell victim to meat eaters.
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Comfortably Numb
Scientists are finding the molecular targets of anesthetics.
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- Humans
Letters from the July 3, 2004, issue of Science News
Whale, of an annoyance In “Din among the Orcas: Are whale watchers making too much noise?” (SN: 5/1/04, p. 275: Din among the Orcas: Are whale watchers making too much noise?), Rus Hoelzel states, “One thing I want to make clear is that I think whale watching is a good thing.” He then states that […]
