More Stories from the June 30, 2007 issue
- Tech
A computer in every cell
Artificial genes inserted into cells make RNA molecules that can perform logical computations.
- Planetary Science
Eris dwarfs Pluto
Ex-planet Pluto suffers another demotion, as observations show that it's much less massive than Eris, another distant denizen of the outer solar system.
- Animals
West Nile virus hits bird populations
West Nile virus has hammered populations of five common North American birds.
- Earth
Double-acting bacteria immobilize toxic nanoparticles
Bacteria lurking in the bowels of an abandoned Wisconsin mine might help remove toxic metals from polluted water.
- Health & Medicine
Nerves are key to longevity effect
The life-extending effect that some animals get from calorie-restricted diets may depend on signals from the brain.
- Chemistry
A sweet way to replace petroleum?
Thanks to a new chemical process, many products now manufactured from petroleum could one day be made from sugar molecules.
- Physics
Stradivari’s secrets
Three-dimensional imaging of a classic violin's vibrations explains the instrument's superior ability to direct sound to the audience.
- Planetary Science
Music to alien ears
Saturn's moon Titan may be the best rock concert venue in the solar system, according to computer simulations of sound propagation on other worlds.
- Tech
Life Swap: Switching genomes converts bacteria
Transplanting the entire genome of one species of bacteria into another paves the way for making synthetic microbes with manmade DNA.
- Tech
Cellular Smugglers: Laden nanoparticles hitch a ride on bacteria
Molecular cargoes loaded onto nanoparticles can sneak into mammalian cells on the backs of bacteria.
- Tech
Biowarfare: Engineered virus can invade bacterial film
A genetically engineered virus not only kills bacteria but makes an enzyme that breaks up the biofilm in which the bacteria live.
- Animals
Cat History: DNA study finds domestic-cat kin
DNA evidence shows that the Near Eastern lineage of the wildcat, one of five lineages of Felis silvestris, gave rise to today's domestic kitty cats.
- Health & Medicine
Alcohol Answer? Drinks lower glucose to protect heart
Moderate consumption of beer, wine, or gin lowers blood glucose, perhaps helping to stave off type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
- Health & Medicine
Immune Abuse: Methamphetamine is linked to cardiac damage
The illicit drug methamphetamine alters immune proteins unleashed in the body, possibly explaining why some longtime methamphetamine abusers suffer heart problems.
- Anthropology
Ape Aid: Chimps share altruistic capacity with people
Chimpanzees, as well as 18-month-old children, will assist strangers even when getting no personal reward, suggesting that human altruism has deep evolutionary roots.
- Humans
Summer Reading
The staff of Science News presents wide-ranging recommendations of books for readers to pack for their summer vacations.
- Earth
A Gemstone’s Wild Ride
Diamonds may be carried to the surface in explosions of gas and rock fizzing up from deep within Earth's mantle.
- Humans
Letters from the June 30, 2007, issue of Science News
Hot and cold on the topic No mention was made in “In the Zone: Extrasolar planet with the potential for life” (SN: 4/28/07, p. 259) of the possibility that, being so close to its star and having a 13-day orbital period, the planet would keep the same surface to the star. Having one side baked […]
