Vol. 162 No. #14
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More Stories from the October 5, 2002 issue

  1. Gene found for big, firm sheep rumps

    Scientists have found the gene that gives sheep unusually big, muscular bottoms.

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  2. Earth

    Moderate flows help carve rivers

    Measurements of erosion in a rocky river channel in Taiwan suggest that the day-to-day flow of water accounts for more rock wear there than occasional catastrophic floods do.

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  3. Tech

    Beads and glue defeat forgers

    Researchers have devised a cheap, translucent material that, when embedded in credit cards and other items, would endow the items with unique identifiers that are almost impossible to tamper with or copy.

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  4. Anthropology

    Iceman mummy shares last meals

    DNA analyses of food remains from the intestines of a 5,000-year-old mummified man found in Europe's Tyrolean Alps indicate that his last two meals included meat from mountain goats and red deer, as well as wild cereals.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Challenges in testing for West Nile virus

    The Food and Drug Administration is trying to figure out how blood banks can detect signs of West Nile infection in blood donors and, eventually, test donated blood for the virus itself.

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  6. Materials Science

    Carbon nanotubes do some bonding

    Researchers have welded together carbon nanotubes to make junctions that could be useful in the construction of tiny electronic devices.

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  7. Astronomy

    There’s life in the old galaxies yet

    An unexpectedly large number of supermassive black holes in old galaxy clusters suggests these elderly groupings of galaxies aren't as quiescent as had been expected.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Lingering legacy of Sept. 11, 2001, on firefighters’ health

    Of the New York firefighters involved in the rescue and recovery effort after last year's terrorist attacks, relatively few have developed chronic coughs and respiratory problems, but among those who did, the problems seem unusually severe.

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  9. Milestones for Malaria: Parasite, mosquito genes decoded

    Unraveling the DNA of a malaria-causing parasite and of a mosquito that carries it may suggest new ways to combat the deadly disease.

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  10. Tech

    Solar Surgery: Sunlight acts like laser

    By channeling sunlight down a fiber optic cable, scientists have produced laserlike beams that can burn tumors off major organs.

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  11. Making Mice Mellow: Rodents yield clues to improved anxiety drugs

    Mice bred to lack a gene for a certain enzyme exhibit reduced anxiety and greater curiosity in stressful laboratory tasks, suggesting a possible new avenue of research into anti-anxiety medications.

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  12. Materials Science

    Molecular Separations: New artificial sieve traps molecules

    Researchers have created a metal-laced organic solid that acts as a sieve with nanosize pores for capturing molecules.

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  13. Chemistry

    Hot Spuds: Golden path to acrylamide in food

    The browning reaction that imparts flavor to french fries and breads also creates acrylamide, an animal carcinogen.

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  14. Humans

    Flame Out: Fishy findings sustain, then snuff, stellar career

    Investigators have concluded that a young, up-and-coming physicist repeatedly faked data and committed other types of scientific misconduct.

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  15. Health & Medicine

    Into the Tank: Pressurized oxygen is best at countering carbon monoxide exposure

    Oxygen treatment for serious carbon monoxide poisoning prevents long-term brain damage best if delivered as pressurized gas.

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  16. A Man’s Job

    Sperm contain an unexpected payload of RNA, a discovery offering insight into infertility, cloning, and contraception.

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  17. Tech

    Ribbon to the Stars

    Advances in one of the tiniest of technologies—carbon nanotubes—is bringing the concept of a space elevator closer to reality.

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