Vol. 172 No. #13
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More Stories from the September 29, 2007 issue

  1. Physics

    Not flipping out

    A single atom on a surface has favored magnetic orientations that could allow it to encode a data bit.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Exhaust fumes might threaten people’s hearts

    Nanoparticles in diesel fumes thwart proteins that dissolve blood clots, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks.

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  3. Animals

    Honeybee mobs smother big hornets

    Honeybees gang up on an attacking hornet, killing it by blocking its breathing.

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  4. Plants

    Water-saving grain

    Rice with an added gene needs less water and can survive drought.

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  5. Astronomy

    Out-of-focus find

    Blurry images yield estimates of the true width of glowing meteor vapor trails in Earth's upper atmosphere.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Malaria’s sweet spot

    The malaria parasite's reliance on a sugar in the gut of mosquitoes may offer a way to block the disease's transmission.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Tea compound aids dying brain cells

    A constituent of green tea rescues brain cells damaged in a way that mimics the effect of Parkinson's disease.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Distracted? Tea might help your focus

    An amino acid in tea combines with the brew's caffeine to enliven brain cells that aid concentration.

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  9. Paleontology

    Unexpected Archive: Mammoth hair yields ancient DNA

    Hair from ancient mammoths contains enough genetic material to permit reconstruction of parts of the animal's genome.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Keep Out: Treated mosquito nets limit child deaths

    Mosquito nets treated with insecticides decrease death rates among children in Kenya's malarial zones.

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  11. Jungle Down There: What’s a kelp forest doing in the tropics?

    Kelp, algae that grow in cold water, turn out to be surprisingly widespread in tropical seas.

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  12. Double Trouble: Tumors have two-pronged defense

    By depleting an essential amino acid and releasing a toxin, cancer cells can ward off attack by the immune system.

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  13. Bugs in Space: Genes explain why salmonella grow deadlier when freed from Earth’s gravity

    Bacteria that flew on a space shuttle became deadlier than their earthbound counterparts.

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  14. Health & Medicine

    Lack of Evidence: Vaccine additive not linked to developmental problems

    Thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative, shows no signs of causing memory, attention or other problems in children.

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  15. Anthropology

    Sail Away: Tools reveal extent of ancient Polynesian trips

    Rock from Hawaii was fashioned into a stone tool found in Polynesian islands more than 4,000 kilometers to the south, indicating that canoeists made the sea journey around 1,000 years ago.

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  16. Physics

    Electron Superhighway

    The remarkable strength and electrical properties of graphene, a chicken-wire network of carbon atoms, make it a promising new material for computer chips.

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  17. Earth

    Clearly Concerning

    The toxicity of a chemical that leaches from a widely used plastic receives conflicting evaluations in two new reviews.

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  18. Humans

    Letters from the September 29, 2007, issue of Science News

    Questioning the surge “The Power of Induction” (SN: 7/21/07, p. 40) was written as if this was a newly discovered technology. I have been using an electric shaver with induction recharging for years. Mike YorkPhoenix, Ariz. The ability to project electrical power some distance suggests a possible method to detonate or disable improvised explosive devices. […]

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