More Stories from the November 6, 2004 issue
- Paleontology
Irish elk survived after ice age ended
New fossil finds indicate that the so-called Irish elk, previously thought to have died out at the end of the last ice age, survived in some spots for several millennia more.
- Health & Medicine
Malaria vaccine shows promise in Mozambique
An experimental malaria vaccine tested on children in Mozambique provides some protection against the potentially life-threatening disease.
-
Brain-based help for adults with dyslexia
Intensive phonics instruction for adults with dyslexia yields brain changes that underlie their improved reading ability.
-
Summer births linked to schizophrenia
People who develop a severe form of schizophrenia are strikingly likely to have been born in June or July, raising the possibility that seasonal influences on early brain development contribute to this disorder.
- Health & Medicine
Acne drug affects brain function
The antiacne drug Accutane may decrease activity in a part of the brain that regulates mood.
- Health & Medicine
Drug abuse could be an occupational hazard
Breathing minuscule amounts of painkillers administered to patients in surgery may increase an anesthesiologist's risk of abusing prescription drugs.
-
Oxygen deficit linked to ADHD
Sleep apnea may be a risk factor for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- Health & Medicine
High-fat diets slim down learning
High-fat diets decrease the ability of male rats to learn and remember.
- Planetary Science
Titanic Close-up: Cassini eyes Saturn’s big moon
Using radar to penetrate the thick haze surrounding Saturn's moon Titan, the Cassini spacecraft has found evidence that the moon's surface is coated with hydrocarbons and dark patches that might be lakes of ethane or methane.
- Health & Medicine
Nicotine’s Good Side: Substance curbs sepsis in mice
Nicotine halted the progression of severe sepsis in mice, suggesting a new avenue for treating this acute blood infection.
- Animals
Poison Source: Toxic birds may get chemical from beetle
When some poisonous New Guinea birds eat certain tiny beetles, they may be stocking up on the toxic substance they use to defend themselves.
- Health & Medicine
Persistent Cough: Pertussis rises in young adults and infants
Pertussis, or whooping cough, appears to be rebounding in many age groups, causing long-lasting symptoms in adolescents and adults and threatening the lives of unvaccinated infants.
- Materials Science
Electronics Detox: Leadfree material for ecofriendly gadgetry
Responding to growing concern over the disposal of electronic devices, scientists in Japan have created a lead-free piezoceramic that could replace the toxic components in many of these gadgets.
- Tech
Smashing the Microscope: Tiny crashes harnessed for nanoconstruction
A new technique supplies loose atoms for nanoscale experiments by using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope to gouge out craters from a surface.
-
Wayfaring Sleepers: Brain area linked to slumber-aided recall
Enhanced activity in an inner-brain structure called the hippocampus during sleep solidifies memories of recently visited places and the routes taken to get to them.
- Animals
Hide and See
A new look at fish on coral reefs considers the possibility that all that riotous color has its inconspicuous side.
- Materials Science
Metal Makeover
Metallic glasses with extraordinary strength and corrosion resistance have been known for decades, but only recently have researchers been able to make such alloys on a large scale from inexpensive iron.
- Humans
Letters from the November 6, 2004, issue of Science News
Another view I suggest that world maps with countries colored by some statistical feature often would be more useful if done on a cartogram that is a compromise between population and size of countries, rather than on a map with a simple Mercator projection (“A Better Distorted View,” SN: 8/28/04, p. 136: A Better Distorted […]
