May 13th, 2000
issue

  • Fossils Hint at Who Left Africa First
    Fossil skulls found in central Asia date to 1.7 million years ago and may represent the first ancestral human species to have left Africa. (p. 308)
  • U.S. smog limit permits subtle lung damage
    Ambient concentrations of smog ozone in many regions can cause lungs to leak, potentially compromising the health of even robust people. (p. 308)
  • New gene-therapy techniques show potential
    Two technologies for transferring genes, one that uses mobile DNA called transposons and another that uses a weak virus, have proved successful in overcoming genetic disorders in mice. (p. 309)
  • Astronomers find evidence of missing matter
    Astronomers say they've likely confirmed that half of the hydrogen gas in the universe, which had not been accounted for, resides in relatively nearby reaches of intergalactic space. (p. 310)
  • Female owls: First to advertise good genes
    Swiss researchers find the first case of a female flashing ornaments that advertise her gene quality to choosy males. (p. 310)
  • Gravity gets measured to greater certainty
    Important but imprecisely measured, the gravitational constant, G, is given its most exact experimental value yet, while a pioneering investigation into gravity finds that extra dimensions, if they do exist, occupy spaces of less than a couple tenths of a millimeter. (p. 311)
  • Another chromosome down, more to go
    Scientists from six countries have completed the sequence of human chromosome 21. (p. 311)
  • Downtown Fisheries?
    Advances may make fish farming a healthy prospect, even for inner cities. (p. 314)
  • Placental Puzzle
    Do captured viral genes make human pregnancies possible? (p. 318)
  • Sweet news about ginseng
    When taken before or with meals, ginseng appears to help people with diabetes control the normal rise in blood sugar that accompanies eating. (p. 312)
  • Diabetes drug cures infertility and more
    A common diabetes drug helps treat obesity and cure the infertility associated with polycystic ovary disease—even in people without diabetes. (p. 312)
  • Are some fats more filling?
    Substituting monounsaturated fats for polyunsaturated ones in cooking may hold hunger at bay longer. (p. 312)
  • Soy, tea, and cancer benefits
    Animal studies indicate that enriching diets with soy and tea fights cancer better than adding either alone. (p. 312)
  • Family success prompts tit divorces
    For the first time, researchers have shown that bird pairs are more likely to divorce after raising young than after losing a nest of offspring. (p. 317)
  • Buddy power warms tent caterpillars
    Tent caterpillars get more heat and insulation than scientists had expected. (p. 317)
  • Invaders can conquer Africanized bees
    Bees that can take over even an Africanized-bee colony start by conning their nursemaids into giving them royal treatment. (p. 317)
  • Bats may spread new Malaysian virus
    A Nipah virus outbreak in Malaysia may have started when bats spread disease to pigs. (p. 317)
  • A hint at a healthful effect of beer
    Beer consumption seems to boost concentrations of vitamin B6 in blood and coincides with lower concentrations of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease. (p. 317)
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