February 24th, 2001
issue

  • Extinctions Tied to Impact from Space
    Evidence trapped in 250-million-year-old sediments may help researchers pin the ultimate blame for the massive extinctions that occurred then on the impact of an extraterrestrial object about 9 kilometers across. (p. 116)
  • Sometimes an antibiotic is much more
    By reining in destructive enzymes in the body, tetracyclines can thwart various diseases, including periodontal bone loss and cancer. (p. 116)
  • Color array reveals breast cancer types
    A suite of genes lights up when researchers probe for cancer. (p. 117)
  • Seeming sedate, some solid surfaces seethe
    Although they're as orderly as bathroom-floor tiles, surface atoms of copper--and perhaps other solids--actually roam randomly and widely within their grid. (p. 118)
  • Can visiting a plant ruin an experiment?
    Merely walking up to a plant and handling its leaves may skew outcomes in studies of predators attacking plants. (p. 119)
  • Distant cluster suggests low-weight cosmos
    Lured by the radio beacon of a faraway galaxy, astronomers have discovered the most distant cluster of galaxies known in the universe. (p. 119)
  • A Nation Aflame
    In the wake of one of the worst fire seasons in the past 50 years, scientists are assessing risk as more people move into fire-prone areas and developing ways to better predict the behavior of--and the potential for--wildfires. (p. 120)
  • Ancient Mars water: A deep source?
    A new analysis of a Mars meteorite that fell to Earth suggests that much of the water believed to have once flowed on the surface of the Red Planet came from eruptions of molten rock that originated deep within the planet. (p. 123)
  • Cassini at Jupiter: Eyeing the Io torus
    The Cassini spacecraft has captured the most detailed images ever taken of the Io torus, a doughnut-shaped ring of charged particles that surrounds Jupiter and is replenished by the planet's moon Io. (p. 123)
  • Muffled shots tell a lot about snow
    A snowfield muffles gunshots in a way that can now be used to reveal important traits of the snow. (p. 123)
  • Lasers nudge into nuclear medicine
    Using a tabletop laser, researchers produced a medically useful isotope usually made in warehouse-size particle accelerators called cyclotrons. (p. 123)
  • Mining the Sky
    A proposed national virtual observatory, a mammoth computer database integrating spectra, images, and other information covering the entire sky, could usher in a new age of discovery in astronomy. (p. 124)
  • Anti-HIV mutation poses hepatitis risk
    A genetic mutation that protects people from AIDS may also make them susceptible to hepatitis C. (p. 127)
  • Some HIV patients getting transplants
    Organ transplants succeed in some HIV-infected people, spurring further research into this practice. (p. 127)
  • AIDS drug performs well in early test
    A new drug called T-1249, which keeps the AIDS virus from fusing with immune cells, proves largely safe in people. (p. 127)
  • AIDS-treatment guidelines revised
    A panel of scientists has changed the guidelines for prescribing medication for HIV-infected patients, considerably lowering the suggested T-cell-count and HIV-copy thresholds. (p. 127)
Advertisement
seperator
Janet Raloff
Science & the Public Help NAS and Yourself
 By Janet Raloff Dec 4th 2008
seperator
Julie Rehmeyer
Math Trek Florence Nightingale: The passionate statistician
 By Julie Rehmeyer Nov 26th 2008
Alan Stern
Comment Debates over definition of planet continue and inspire
 By Alan Stern Nov 21st 2008
seperator
Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
The sun and radioactive decay
Debating appearance of complex life
New Lead Risks
seperator
generic
Insatiable Curiosity: Innovation in a Fragile Future by Helga Nowotny
Review by Elizabeth Quill
Buy now | More Books