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Science Friday
March 11th, 2000
issue

  • Pollution Keeps Rain up in the Air
    New satellite data indicate that aerosol pollution can break up water droplets in clouds and stop rain. (p. 164)
  • Rice hulls could nourish Silicon Valley
    Scientists are developing ways to extract and purify the silicon that occurs naturally in rice hulls. (p. 164)
  • Meteoric wallop may have diversified life
    A new study suggests that the evolutionary burst on Earth some 540 million years ago occurred around the time that cosmic debris began pummeling our planet at an increasing rate. (p. 165)
  • Cell transplants combat diabetes in mice
    Scientists have successfully reversed diabetes in mice by harvesting immature pancreatic cells that make insulin from one mouse, growing them in culture, and transplanting them into a mouse with the disease, which then recedes. (p. 165)
  • HIV sexual spread exploits immune sentinels
    The virus that causes AIDS latches onto a protein called DC-SIGN to hitch a ride on immune cells in mucus membranes and spread through the body. (p. 166)
  • Hey polluters! This billboard's for you
    Motorists generally like and respond to personalized billboard messages about when an engine tune-up may be warranted. (p. 166)
  • Brain cells work together to pay attention
    Cells in the brain's cortex may coordinate their electrical activity as attention shifts from visual to tactile information. (p. 167)
  • Hormone still rules no-tadpole frogs
    Coqui frogs may skip the tadpole stage, but within the egg, they undergo a metamorphosis ruled by thyroid hormone. (p. 167)
  • Pregnant—and Still Macho
    Some of the basic theories of sexual behavior and sexual selection are getting attention thanks to a burst of new studies in the topsy-turvy social world of the seahorse, where the males get pregnant. (p. 168)
  • Is Snoring a DiZZZease?
    Snoring may trigger high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease or stroke. (p. 172)
  • Where the Gems Are
    By using a novel tool to figure out an emerald’s oxygen-isotope ratio, gemologists can now determine which mine the precious stone came from and, possibly, gain insights into the formation and history of these coveted gems. (p. 175)
  • Tough talk for depressed husbands
    Positive comments directed by depressed men to their wives often elicit negative responses from the women, a conversational style that may contribute to the men's mood problems. (p. 171)
  • Listen to the shapes
    People use still-unspecified acoustic cues to discern the shapes of hidden, vibrating plates. (p. 171)
  • Progestin adds to breast cancer risk
    Women taking estrogen are more prone to get breast cancer if they are also taking the hormone progestin. (p. 171)
  • Alcohol can induce fainting spells
    Alcohol imbibed in modest quantities can disrupt the reflex that maintains blood pressure when a person stands up quickly, which may account for why some people faint when they down a few drinks and then stand up. (p. 171)
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