More Stories from the October 20, 2001 issue
- Ecosystems
Another World Hides inside Coral Reefs
The first systematic survey of crevices inside Red Sea reefs reveals abundant filter feeders that may capture significant nutrients for the reef.
- Chemistry
Nobel recognizes three for handy chemistry
The 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry honors research that led to new chemicals, materials, and drugs, including widely used heart medicines.
- Paleontology
Lemurs reveal clues to ancient Asian roots
A diminutive lemur species inhabited what is now central Pakistan about 30 million years ago, a new fossil find suggests.
- Earth
Lowland tree loss threatens cloud forests
Changes in regional climate brought about by large-scale deforestation in the eastern lowlands of Central America are affecting weather in the mountains downwind, imperiling ecosystems there.
- Health & Medicine
Retail meats host drug-resistant bacteria
Three studies appear to tie livestock growth promoters to risk of serious human disease.
- Health & Medicine
AMA: Drugs are for anthrax, not fear
Doctors should not use antibiotics prophylactically against anthrax unless there is good reason to believe the individual had encountered the germs directly, the American Medical Association advises.
- Health & Medicine
Hormone wards off immune cells in womb
A hormone known for its involvement in the brain's response to stress also plays a key role in shielding the developing embryo from its mother's immune system.
- Health & Medicine
Pregnancy spurs a tumor suppressor
Pregnancy hormones may prime breast cells to maintain a supply of p53, a cancer suppressor protein, thus accounting for why women who have undergone pregnancy generally have a lower breast cancer risk than do others.
- Paleontology
Fossils found under tons of Kitty Litter
Excavations at North America's largest Kitter Litter mine have yielded fossils of ancient aquatic reptiles, as well as evidence of a tsunami generated by the extraterrestrial impact that killed off the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.
- Paleontology
How did Triceratops grow its horns?
Newly discovered fossil skulls of juvenile Triceratops may help reveal how the dinosaurs grew their three trademark horns.
- Paleontology
CT scan unscrambles rare, ancient egg
A tangled heap of bones and bone fragments in the bottom of an unhatched elephant bird egg may soon be reassembled into a model of the long-dead embryo, thanks to high technology—and scientists won't even have to crack open the egg to do it.
- Paleontology
Even flossing wouldn’t have helped
Small particles trapped in minuscule cracks or pits in the teeth of plant-eating dinosaurs could give scientists a way to identify the types of greenery the ancient herbivores were munching.
- Chemistry
Molecules, like Tinkertoys, link up
Researchers have tailored molecules so that they self-assemble into predictable shapes on a gold surface.
- Chemistry
Milk protein does a membrane good
Chemical engineers have created a new type of durable membrane from whey protein, a natural component of milk.
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Rare sheep cloned from dead donor
An international team used cells from recently dead ewes of the rare mouflon sheep to clone a lamb.
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Ant invaders strand seeds without rides
Invading Argentine ants may reshape the plant composition of the South African fynbos ecosystem because the newcomers don't disperse seeds.
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Dolly Was Lucky
Scientists studying the data on animal cloning argue that cloning a person would be unsafe.
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Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Some scientists suggest that a better understanding of hair biology might not only lead to new treatments for people with too little (or too much) hair but also shed light on cancer, the growth and development of bodily organs, and other matters.
