More Stories from the January 11, 2003 issue
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A fish’s solution to broken hearts
The zebrafish can regenerate missing heart muscle.
- Chemistry
Soy and oat combo protects against UV
Soybean oil and a natural chemical in oat bran have been chemically combined to make a new sunscreen.
- Earth
Rivers run to it
Increasing freshwater discharges into Arctic waters could disrupt important patterns of deep-water ocean circulation that affect climate.
- Health & Medicine
Researchers target sickle-cell cure
Using stem cell transplants and a compound called antithymocyte globulin, researchers in Paris have cured 59 of 69 children of sickle-cell disease.
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Speech veers left in babies’ brains
The beginnings of left-brain specialization for speech understanding appear in 2-to-3-month-old babies as they listen to an adult talk, according to a new brain-scan investigation.
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Ragweed may boom with global warming
An experiment that includes artificially heating plots of tallgrass prairie suggests that global warming could boost growth of ragweed, putting more pollen into the air for allergy sufferers.
- Health & Medicine
Determined at Birth? Kidney makeup may set hypertension risk
People lacking a full complement of blood-filtering nephrons in their kidneys at birth are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
- Animals
Stalking Larvae: How an ancient sea creature grows up
Scientists have finally observed living larvae of a sea lily, an ancient marine invertebrate related to starfish.
- Humans
Unfounded Fear: Scared to fly after 9/11? Don’t reach for the car keys
A new analysis of transportation in the United States shows that flying remains a much safer way to travel than driving, even when airline fatalities resulting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are included.
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Bipolar Math Subtractions: Mental disorder may spur math problems in teens
A new study suggests that bipolar disorder, a psychiatric illness best known for its stormy mood swings, may frequently undermine mathematical reasoning as well.
- Humans
Science Revalued: Report seeks revived Smithsonian science
A long-awaited report on science at the Smithsonian Institution calls urgently for more funding and also recommends preservation of beseiged materials-research center.
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Losing Rhythm: Gene mutation causes heart problems
Chinese researchers have for the first time identified a genetic defect that causes atrial fibrillation, a disorder in which the heart's upper chambers beat irregularly and too rapidly.
- Chemistry
Jet Streams: Droplet behavior captured by high-speed camera
A series of images has captured charged droplets spouting microscopic jets of fluid, a phenomenon that was proposed by Lord Rayleigh in 1882.
- Health & Medicine
Moms’ POPs, Sons’ Problems: Testicular cancer tied to a fetus’ pollutant contact
Women who've had substantial exposure to certain environmental pollutants are more likely than other women to bear sons who develop testicular cancers.
- Tech
A Shot in the Light
Bullet replicas that look on a microscopic level like they've been fired from a gun—even though they haven't—enable forensics specialists to fine-tune as never before instruments to automatically match bullets from crime scenes.
- Animals
Camelid Comeback
The future of vicuñas in South America and wild camels in Asia hinges on decisions being made now about their management.
