Vol. 158 No. #20
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More Stories from the November 11, 2000 issue

  1. Archaeology

    Massive Fishery Resurfaces in Amazon

    Native groups in an Amazonian region of Bolivia built a large-scale fishery and other earthworks at least 300 years ago, before the Spanish conquest.

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  2. Psst. This fly’s ears can rival a cat’s

    The unusual eardrums of a tiny parasitic fly turn out to rival cats', owls', and people's abilities to pinpoint the origin of a sound.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Lithium increases gray matter in the brain

    Used for decades to treat manic depression, lithium may stimulate the production of new brain cells, thus raising hope that it can treat strokes, Alzheimer's disease, and other conditions that kill brain cells.

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  4. Lamprey cyborg sees the light and responds

    Researchers have paired the brain of a sea lamprey with a small robot that can detect and move around in response to light.

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  5. Humans

    Science gets a start on the space station

    Although the space station's main laboratories have yet to be launched, scientists are already using nooks and crannies in the existing structure to conduct experiments in biotechnology and physics.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Malaria vaccine waylays parasite in liver

    A new malaria vaccine tested in chimpanzees spurs an immune response against the parasite as it passes through the liver, halting it in most cases before it can get into the bloodstream and cause symptoms of the disease.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    New test may spot colon cancer early

    An experimental test for colon cancer may detect the disease at a treatable stage more accurately than current, noninvasive screening techniques.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Vitamin E targets dangerous inflammation

    Megadoses of vitamin E may reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes and other conditions that produce chronic, low-grade inflammation.

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  9. Chemistry

    Detailed yellow-bud research blossoms

    In identifying the chemical responsible for the color of many yellow flowers, scientists have moved one step closer to engineering sunny-colored designer buds.

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  10. Tech

    Pores of glass skin shrink from light

    Ultraviolet light can fine-tune the properties of intricately structured, porous films of glass that, among other uses, may make possible the long-sought direct extraction of oxygen and nitrogen gases from air.

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  11. Tech

    Pile-o’-polymers breaks up on command

    Stacks of polymers designed to break apart in acid solution or at a certain voltage may prove useful for releasing drugs, pesticides, or other compounds where and when needed.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Colonoscopy screening would avert cancer

    Increased use of colonoscopy could significantly reduce the number of colon cancer deaths and wouldn't cost much more overall than other tests.

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  13. Health & Medicine

    Mutation linked to sinus infections

    People who have frequent sinus infections are more likely on average to carry one copy of the same genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, even though they don't have that disease.

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  14. Paleontology

    Did ancient wildfire end in barbecue?

    Small pieces of large bones and petrified wood that show distinct signs of being burned may be evidence of a 74-million-year-old wildfire in central Wyoming.

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  15. Paleontology

    The last ice age wasn’t totally icy

    Radiocarbon dating of fossils taken from caves on islands along Alaska's southeastern coast suggest that at least a portion of the area remained ice-free during the last ice age.

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  16. Paleontology

    Allosaurus as a Jurassic headbanger

    The skull of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus fragilis can resist levels of stress much higher than those expected from chewing, which may provide insight into the animal's method of attacking its prey.

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  17. Paleontology

    Calling all orthodontists. . .

    Researchers have unearthed fossils of a theropod dinosaur whose front teeth grew almost directly forward, which sets it apart from all other related species.

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  18. Computing

    Calculating Swarms

    Ant teamwork suggests models for computing faster and organizing better.

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  19. Do Antibodies Pack a Deadly Punch?

    These immune molecules may directly kill, not just tag, microbes.

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