More Stories from the June 2, 2001 issue
- Physics
In a squeeze, nitrogen gets chunky
Remarkable already for being a semiconductor and, perhaps, an explosive, a new, solid form of nitrogen made by crushing the ordinary gas to the highest pressures ever also stands out because it continues to survive when the pressure is released.
- Physics
Stretching and twisting a bright idea
A new, stretchy type of liquid-crystal component makes it possible to change a laser's color by simply pulling on the membrane—a much easier, cheaper means of adjustment than that used for today's complex and expensive tunable lasers.
- Chemistry
Molecular Chemistry Takes a New Twist
New calculations show that a basic tenet of chemistry is wrong: Ethane forms its most stable structure not due to so-called steric effects, but because of a quantum mechanical influence.
- Health & Medicine
Does breast-feeding accelerate AIDS?
A study of HIV-infected mothers in Kenya suggests that breast-feeding places them at a health risk.
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Insects deploy sticky feet with precision
Sticky ant and bee footpads retract and unfold in time with insect steps, so the insects don't trip over their own sticky feet.
- Planetary Science
Asteroid Eros poses a magnetic puzzle
Measurements with a magnetometer aboard the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft a few days after it landed on the asteroid 433 Eros confirmed a major puzzle: The rock has no detectable magnetic field.
- Earth
Salmon hatcheries can deplete wild stocks
Hatchery fish appear to be replacing wild salmon populations in the Columbia River.
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Gene variations police the storage of fat
Researchers have uncovered genetic variations controlling a calorie-draining spigot in the body.
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Teens’ ADHD treatment gets low-dose boost
Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder may reap substantial academic benefits from treatment that combines behavioral training with low doses of stimulant medication.
- Ecosystems
Parrot survey finds poaching but also hope
The largest review yet of wild parrot nesting finds poaching worrisomely frequent but also sees cause for hope in the efects of a U.S. protection law.
- Earth
Nations sign on to persistent-pollutants ban
The United States joined 126 other nations in signing a treaty to ban or phase out a dozen persistent and toxic pollutants.
- Health & Medicine
Statins’ structure blocks cholesterol
X-ray crystallography shows that statins impede the build-up of cholesterol by physically blocking the binding site of an enzyme important for cholesterol production.
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Breast milk battles thrush in infants
Human breast milk inhibits the growth of yeast spores, the source of the painful fungal infection of the mouth and throat that can be deadly for infants with AIDS.
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Dirty money harbors bacterial dangers
More than half of 68 dollar bills collected at a high school sporting event and a grocery store in Ohio hosted bacteria that commonly infect poeple in hospitals or those with depressed immune systems.
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Undercooking makes germs strong
Precooking servings to sublethal temperatures before the final cooking actually makes germ killing more difficult.
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Dormant bacteria may spawn infection
Clinicians' standard methods don't detect the dormant phase of a bacterium that commonly causes urinary tract infections in women.
- Anthropology
Evolution’s Youth Movement
The fossils of ancient children may provide insights into the evolution of modern Homo sapiens.
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