More Stories from the May 7, 2005 issue
- Materials Science
Shape shifter
Scientists have created a polymer that, after being deformed, will revert to its original shape when exposed to ultraviolet light.
- Health & Medicine
Surgical risk from painkiller may be brief
A new study suggests that patients might safely use painkillers such as ibuprofen up to 24 hours before surgery.
- Humans
Change of fuel could extend lives in Africa
By switching from biofuels such as wood and charcoal to kerosene or other fossil fuels, people in many parts of Africa could significantly trim indoor air pollution, thereby delaying millions of premature deaths from pulmonary disease over the next 25 years.
- Health & Medicine
Marijuana ingredient slows artery hardening
Low doses of the chemical that causes marijuana's high can slow the progression of atherosclerosis.
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Mitochondria genes may influence cancer risk
People with cancers of the kidney or prostate are more likely to have a certain genetic variation in the mitochondria within their cells.
- Health & Medicine
Anti-inflammatories cut risk of mouth cancer
Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can reduce a smoker's likelihood of developing mouth cancer.
- Health & Medicine
Calcium’s lingering effect slows growths
Calcium supplements' protective effect against colorectal cancer lasts years after a person stops taking the pills.
- Health & Medicine
Anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol drugs vs. cancer
Cholesterol-lowering drugs, especially when combined with anti-inflammatory medication, may inhibit some cancers.
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Novel drug may take on lung cancer
A drug that bottles up the so-called epidermal growth factor receptor might fight lung cancer.
- Animals
Alive and Knocking: Glimpses of an ivory-billed legend
New observations confirm that the famed ivory-billed woodpecker has not gone extinct after all.
- Astronomy
Planetary Picture? Criteria for planethood cloud object’s identity
Astronomers are debating whether an image of a planetary-mass object orbiting a brown dwarf qualifies as the first image of an extrasolar planet.
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Long Live the Mammals: Antioxidant redirection extends mouse life span
Increasing the amount of antioxidants naturally produced in the body and directing those molecules to where they're needed can dramatically slow the aging process, according to a new study in mice.
- Earth
Nanowaste: Predicting the environmental fate of buckyballs
The potentially harmful effects of buckyballs in aquatic environments could vary depending on the chemistry of the water.
- Earth
Mind the Gap: Inadequate monitoring at many U.S. volcanoes
A report just released by the U.S. Geological Survey ranks the threats posed by the nation's volcanoes.
- Health & Medicine
Microwavable Cancers: Heat plus radiation shrinks some tumors
Heat along with radiation treatment shrinks some tumors faster than does radiation alone.
- Archaeology
Ancient Mariners: Caves harbor view of early Egyptian sailors
Archaeologists working near the Red Sea have discovered remains of an Egyptian port that emerged around 4,000 years ago, including two caves used by mariners for storage and for religious ceremonies.
- Tech
Radio-a-Wreck
Radio transmitters broadcasting from imploding buildings are informing engineers about how such collapses disrupt radio communications and how rescuers might overcome those disruptions.
- Ecosystems
Decades of Dinner
Sunken whale carcasses support unique marine ecosystems that display stages of succession and change, just as land ecosystems do.
- Humans
Letters from the May 7, 2005, issue of Science News
Clearer yet “Weighing In on a Star: A stellar size limit” (SN: 3/12/05, p. 164) includes three images of the Arches cluster near the center of the Milky Way, each taken with a different telescope. I’d be interested to know what the three telescopes are. John McKeeBrunswick, Maine In the trio of progressively sharper (left […]
