More Stories from the September 13, 2008 issue
- Earth
Firm evidence that Earth’s core is solid
Faint yet distinct ground motions recorded by a large network of seismic instruments in Japan in early 2006 are the strongest, most direct evidence that Earth’s inner core is solid.
- Health & Medicine
Heart to heart
Successful heart transplant experiment in infants draws attention to debate on defining death of organ donors.
- Ecosystems
Slave ants rebel
Species vulnerable to enslavement may evolve ways to fight their captors.
- Physics
Stars ablaze in other skies
A new study suggests that a surprising number of universes, even those with laws of physics different from those in our universe, can still support stars.
- Space
Tiny object points to remote solar system reservoir
Possible comet may be distant visitor from the innermost region of the Oort Cloud, the proposed comet reservoir of the outermost solar system.
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- Earth
Carcinogens from car exhaust can linger
Free radicals similar to those in cigarette smoke may form when car exhaust cools off, and may persist indefinitely in the air.
- Chemistry
FBI reveals more details of anthrax investigation
A panel of scientists involved in the anthrax investigations released new details.
- Health & Medicine
Dopamine fends off zzzzz’s
A reward chemical in the brain helps keep sleep-deprived people awake.
- Chemistry
Popular plastics chemical poses further threat
The chemical bisphenol A may raise the risk of heart attacks and type 2 diabetes by suppressing a protective hormone.
- Life
Compass creatures
Herds of grazing and resting deer and cattle tend to align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field, a hint that the large mammals can somehow sense the invisible field.
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Potent Promise: Essential Stemness
Scientists move closer to understanding the dual fates of embryonic stem cells — to divide or develop.
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Potent Promise: Back to the Womb
Reverting adult cells to an embryonic state without creating embryos is a tricky business.
- Physics
It’s Likely That Times Are Changing
A century ago, mathematician Hermann Minkowski famously merged space with time, establishing a new foundation for physics; today physicists are rethinking how the two should fit together
