More Stories from the November 3, 2012 issue
- Life
Birds catching malaria in Alaska
The mosquito-spread disease may be transmitted north of the Arctic Circle as climate shifts.
- Humans
Feather finds hint at Neandertal art
Plumage found at ancient sites may indicate capability for abstract thought among humans’ Stone Age cousins.
- Astronomy
Team glimpses black hole’s secrets
In the distant galaxy M87, new observations about structure’s rotational speed and jets show the potential of a budding telescope network.
- Tech
Degradable devices vanish after use
Technique combines silicon, magnesium and silk for medical implants, transistors and digital cameras that can melt away.
- Health & Medicine
Male DNA found in female brains
Postmortem sampling suggests fetal cells can slip through the blood-brain barrier.
- Chemistry
Chemical bond shields extreme microbes from poison
Molecular structure explains how ‘arsenic life’ bacteria instead survive by fishing out phosphate from their surroundings.
- Life
Duck-billed dino could slice and dice
Ancient animal’s teeth were made of six different tissue types.
- Humans
Human-Neandertal mating gets a new date
Late Stone Age interbreeding between Neandertals and people may have left a mark on Europeans’ DNA.
- Life
Mouse stem cells yield viable eggs
Japanese scientists’ technical feat might provide new insights about protecting and extending human fertility.
- Life
Black mamba bite packs potent painkiller
Scientists find that a component of snake venom blocks pain-sensing nerve signals.
- Space
Superfast star spotted orbiting Milky Way’s black hole
Upcoming gravitational close encounter will test relativity theories in the extreme.
- Life
2012 medicine Nobel honors research on reprogramming adult cells
John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka share this year's prize.
- Physics
2012 physics Nobel recognizes experiments probing quantum world
Serge Haroche and David Wineland win for investigating single particles of light and matter.
- Life
Research in cell communication system wins 2012 chemistry Nobel
G protein-coupled receptors relay messages from other cells and the environment into the cell's interior.
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- Microbes
Protecting the planet
Catharine “Cassie” Conley has the coolest job title at NASA: She’s the agency’s planetary protection officer. (The best title used to be “director of the universe,” but a reconfiguration a few years back eliminated that job description, she says.)
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Science Future for November 3, 2012
November 8–16 Take in nine days of science-based films during the Imagine Science Film Festival at several locations around New York City. This year’s films explore the mind, brain and time. See bit.ly/SFimfilm November 17 A new exhibit called “Our Global Kitchen” at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City explores issues […]
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SN Online
ON THE SCENE BLOG Deep brain stimulation shows promise for treating spinal cord injuries. Read “Brain zap helps spine-damaged rats walk.” X-ray: NASA, CXC, G. Cassam-Chenaï and J. Hughes et al/Rutgers Univ., Radio: NRAO, AUI, NSF, GBT, K. Dyer, R. Maddalena and T. Cornwell/VLA, Optical: F. Winkler/Middlebury College, NOAO, AURA, NSF, CTIO, Schmidt/DSS ATOM & […]
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The Spine of the Continent: The Most Ambitious Wildlife Conservation Project Ever Undertaken by Mary Ellen Hannibal
A journalist travels the length of the Rockies documenting efforts to create a massive wildlife corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico. Lyons Press, 2012, 272 p., $24.95
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The Science of Human Perfection: How Genes Became the Heart of American Medicine by Nathaniel Comfort
A historian finds parallels between the 19th century eugenics movement and the rise of modern human genetics. Yale Univ., 2012, 316 p., $35
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Owls of the World: A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola
Spectacular imagery enhances this detailed guide to 249 species of owls, including sections on owl biology, evolution and behavior. Firefly, 2012, 512 p., $49.95
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Fifty Minerals That Changed the Course of History by Eric Chaline
From alabaster to zinc, this book highlights the scientific, cultural and commercial significance of a bevy of alloys, metals, rocks and gemstones. Firefly, 2012, 224 p., $29.95
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- Health & Medicine
Suicidal Threads
Early abuse weaves its way into the brain, with potentially tragic consequences.
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Letters
Fractious debateRachel Ehrenberg’s feature story on hydraulic fracturing “The Facts Behind the Frack,“ (SN: 9/8/12, p. 20) spurred a big response from readers. We received letters voicing strong opinions on both sides of the fracking debate. The article was intended as an overview of what science has to say about the risks of fracking and, due […]
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Science Past from the issue of November 3, 1962
PAST-SEEKING CAMERA — A camera that can “see” what already has happened as well as what is happening may have provided the United States with information on missile bases in Cuba…. Special photographic plates are sensitive to heat (infrared) radiation and the past presence of objects is shown differentially. This is only one of the […]
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Wonderful Life with the Elements: The Periodic Table Personified by Bunpei Yorifuji
An artist explains the properties of the elements by drawing them as quirky characters in this fun guide to the periodic table. No Starch Press, 2012, 206 p., $17.95
