More Stories from the June 24, 2006 issue
- Earth
Main source of airborne pollen varies by month
A 15-year study conducted in the New York City area charts how air concentrations of different types of allergy-causing pollen vary throughout an average year.
- Plants
Herbal therapy for beleaguered lawns
Mustard and other herbal remedies can thwart turf attacks by root-feeding roundworms.
- Earth
Something’s fishy about these hormones
Synthetic steroids used to beef up cattle can impair reproduction in female fish and even give them macho physical traits.
- Health & Medicine
Coffee protects against alcoholic cirrhosis
A sobering cup of coffee could provide protection against cirrhosis, a liver-scarring disease common in alcoholics.
- Health & Medicine
Glucosamine isn’t at fault
The popular dietary supplement glucosamine doesn't cause insulin resistance, the precursor of type 2 diabetes.
-
Three gene variants boost diabetes risk
Researchers have linked small variations in three genes to type 2 diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
New drugs reduce blood sugar
Two experimental drugs can lower blood sugar significantly in people with type 2 diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
Antidepressant drugs show link to diabetes
People taking antidepressant medication might be at increased risk of developing diabetes.
- Astronomy
Magnetic Thrust: Fields force matter into black holes
New observations confirm that magnetic fields provide matter with the last push to plunge into a black hole.
- Health & Medicine
Proof of Protection: Condoms limit infection by cervical cancer virus
Condom use reduces a woman's risk of being infected with human papillomavirus and of developing precancerous growths on the cervix.
- Animals
Fishy Reputations: Undersea watchers choose helpers that do good jobs
Coral reef fish use smart-shopper techniques of looking for satisfied customers before choosing a small fish to provide cleaning services.
- Ecosystems
A Chronicle of Coasts: Study charts historical changes in seas, estuaries
New research compares the long-term ecological impact of human activities in estuaries and coastal seas on three continents.
-
Older but Mellower: Aging brain shifts gears to emotional advantage
The aging brain reorganizes in ways that foster emotional stability and a tendency to favor positive emotions over negative ones.
- Earth
Toxic Leftovers: Microbes convert flame retardant
Bacteria can break down a common flame retardant into more-toxic forms.
- Paleontology
Sticky Subjects: Insights into ancient spider diet, kinship
Remnants of a spider web embedded in ancient amber suggest that some spiders' diets haven't changed much in millions of years.
-
Nurture Takes the Spotlight
What a person eats, what chemicals he or she is exposed to, and other features of a person's environment chemically modify chromosomes, thereby changing how genes are ultimately expressed.
- Animals
Naked and Not
The Damaraland mole rat may be less famous than its naked cousin, but both have some of the oddest social structures found in a mammal.
- Humans
Letters from the June 24, 2006, issue of Science News
Timely suggestions Clock time has long been out of step with the heavens (“To Leap or Not to Leap,” SN: 4/22/06, p. 248). Since the adoption of time zones in the 19th century, we have accepted disparities of as much as 30 minutes at the edges of the time zones (more in some cases since […]
