More Stories from the June 7, 2003 issue
- Health & Medicine
Heart drug derails algal toxin
A drug for treating high cholesterol might someday find use relieving the debilitating symptoms of poisoning from some algal toxins.
- Astronomy
Satellite begins its ultraviolet survey
NASA last month released the first images taken by the recently launched Galaxy Evolution Explorer satellite.
-
Findings puncture self-esteem claims
People who report high levels of self-esteem experience few of the beneficial effects often assumed to flow from this attitude.
- Ecosystems
Zebra mussels to the rescue
Bioengineers have harnessed zebra mussels to help avert algal blooms by cleaning particles, including algae, from the water.
- Astronomy
Finding a nearby star
Astronomers have discovered a star that may be among the very closest known to us.
- Earth
Whale meat in Japan is loaded with mercury
Some people in Japan who eat dolphins and other toothed whales are ingesting amounts of mercury that exceed legal health limits.
-
Chopping up a microbial tail
An enzyme made by immune cells destroys the proteins that make up bacterial tails.
-
Some like it hotter
A microbe found on the ocean floor can grow at 121°C, a new record for the upper temperature limit for life.
-
Smoking out microbes
The addictive compound nicotine kills bacteria, which may explain why smokers get lung disease.
-
Bulletproof bacteria
Bacteria can survive being blasted into space.
-
Salamander moms use bacteria to save eggs from fungi
Salamander skin has bacteria that repel egg-destroying mold.
-
Getting an Earful: With gene therapy, ears grow new sensory cells
Scientists have for the first time coaxed the growth of new sensory cells within the ears of an adult mammal.
- Earth
Sticky Situation: Nonstick surfaces can turn toxic at high heat
Nonstick cookware can, if overheated, sicken people and kill birds, according to a new analysis of research published over the past 40 years.
- Materials Science
Caught on Tape: Gecko-inspired adhesive is superstrong
Researchers have emulated a gecko's sticking power to create a superstrong adhesive.
- Planetary Science
Slowdown on Saturn? Windy doings on the ringed planet
The winds in Saturn’s upper atmosphere are some of the swiftest in the solar system, but recent findings suggest there’s been a dramatic slowdown.
-
Babble Rousers: Babies find their voice when given social push
Eight-month-old infants utter more complex, speechlike sounds when their mothers encourage them with well-timed touches and smiles rather than with words offered as models to imitate.
- Animals
Skin Scam: Parasite’s host provides an insect hideaway
A group of parasitic insects called Strepsiptera can hide inside their victim by making the host form a protective bag of its own skin.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer Advance: Treatment combinations stall colorectal cancer
Two experimental drugs can induce remission in colorectal cancer patients and extend their survival.
- Health & Medicine
Herbal Lottery
Many herbal-product makers aren't maintaining adequate quality control, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to propose rules that mandate good manufacturing practices.
- Chemistry
Danger Detection
Analytical chemists are exploring ways to improve chemical and biological weapons detection.
