Vol. 163 No. #25
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More Stories from the June 21, 2003 issue

  1. Astronomy

    Telescope spies a galactic satellite

    A huge gas cloud once considered a remnant from when the Milky Way or nearby galaxies formed is, in fact, a satellite of our galaxy.

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  2. Materials Science

    Material mimics mother-of-pearl in form and substance

    A new synthetic material is so strong and tough that it might one day be used to construct artificial bones or even auto parts.

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  3. Plants

    Sun-tracking dads make better pollen

    In one of the first tests of paternal behavior in plants, snow buttercups that were allowed to follow their natural tendency to track sun movement made more-viable pollen than did tethered blooms.

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  4. Brain perks up to uncertain threats

    The brain shows particular sensitivity to facial expressions that convey vague threats.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Gene profiles might guide chemotherapy

    Profiles of genetic variations in cancer patients could help oncologists predict the outcome of chemotherapy.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Early cancer therapy and heart problems

    Pediatric cancer treatment with chest radiation or anthracyclines can cause a heightened risk of heart disease at an earlier age than previously believed.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Cancer vaccine gets first test in patients

    The first clinical test of a cancer vaccine that targets a protein called carcinoembryonic antigen shows promise.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    MRI detects missed breast cancers

    Magnetic resonance imaging detects breast cancer better than does mammography and might be preferable for certain women at high risk.

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  9. Physics

    Hot Mama: Has matter’s mother paid a call?

    Physicists have found new signs that fiery particle collisions within a giant accelerator 2 years ago created a state of matter identical to what might have been the stuff of the newborn universe.

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  10. Astronomy

    Stellar Top: Astronomers find a squashed star

    Astronomers have found a rapidly spinning, squashed star that is more than 1.5 times as wide as it is tall.

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  11. Animals

    Snake Pits: Viper heat sensors locate cool spots

    Scientists who glued aluminum foil and plastic balls to live rattlesnakes say that snakes use their heat-sensing organs for more than hunting prey.

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  12. Materials Science

    Lithium Sees the Light: Images of tiny ion may help battery designers

    An electron microscope has captured images of tiny lithium ions for the first time.

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  13. Anthropology

    New Guinea Went Bananas: Agriculture’s roots get a South Pacific twist

    Inhabitants of New Guinea began to cultivate bananas in large quantities nearly 7,000 years ago, an agricultural practice that spread to Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific region.

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  14. Health & Medicine

    Double Duty: Diabetes drug protects reopened heart vessels

    A drug normally prescribed to hold blood sugar in check provides an unexpected benefit to heart patients.

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  15. Earth

    Spawning Trouble: Synthetic estrogen hampers trout fertility

    Exposure to a synthetic estrogen called ethynylestradiol, which is commonly found in birth control pills and enters the waterways through sewage effluent, reduces male trout’s fertility by half.

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  16. Attack of the cannibalistic bacteria

    When nutrients are low, some members of a bacterial species will cannibalize other members.

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  17. Health & Medicine

    Target: Celiac Disease

    With the aim of releasing people with celiac disease from a strict, lifelong diet that lacks the wheat protein gluten, researchers are working to identify molecular targets that could block the disease’s hallmark, the degeneration of the lining of the small intestine.

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  18. Astronomy

    Mystery in the Middle

    The Milky Way's core is loaded with seemingly young stars, which have no business being there.

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