More Stories from the September 2, 2006 issue
- Anthropology
Chimps spread out their tools
Chimpanzees use stones to crack nuts in an African region far from where that behavior was thought to be relegated.
- Astronomy
Spiral galaxy in the young universe
Astronomers have identified a galaxy that had already begun to resemble the modern Milky Way when the universe was only 3 billion years old, one-fifth of its current age.
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Sperm in frozen animals still viable years later
Sperm stored inside frozen organs or whole animals can produce healthy offspring years later.
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Drug could be depression buster
Preliminary evidence indicates that a single dose of a drug called ketamine rapidly quells symptoms of major depression for up to 1 week in patients who don't benefit from standard antidepressant medications.
- Animals
Female moths join pheromone choruses
Female rattlebox moths can detect each other's male-luring pheromones and tend to gather in what may be a scent version of male frogs' chorusing around the pond.
- Animals
How do female lemurs get so tough?
Female ring-tailed lemurs may get masculinized by well-timed little rises of prenatal hormones.
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Is a Galápagos finch caught in a split?
An inland population of one of the famed Galápagos finches may become a new textbook example of the way in which two species emerge from one while still living together.
- Animals
Flea treatment shows downside of social life
The flealike parasites that build up in a shared burrow take an unexpectedly large toll on the ground squirrel's reproductive success.
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Engineering a Cure: Genetically modified cells fight cancer
By inserting a gene into normal immune cells isolated from melanoma patients, scientists have turned the cells into cancer fighters.
- Tech
Wheel of Life: Bacteria provide horsepower for tiny motor
Crawling bacteria can power a micromotor.
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Moss Express: Insects and mites tote mosses’ sperm
A lab test has shown that mosses have their own version animal-courier system for sperm that's similar to pollination.
- Earth
When a Shot Is Not: PCBs may impair vaccine-induced immunity
Exposure to certain pollutants early in life may do lasting harm to the immune system by blocking its response to vaccinations.
- Paleontology
Frozen rainforest
Fossils trapped in amber provide evidence that the Amazonian rainforest dates back 10 to 15 million years.
- Health & Medicine
Head to Head: Brain implants are better for Parkinson’s patients
Parkinson's patients who get electrodes surgically implanted in their brains regain some muscle control and have improved quality of life.
- Planetary Science
Doggone! Pluto gets a planetary demotion
The solar system has only eight planets, and Pluto isn't one of them, according to the first-ever definition of a planet, approved last week by the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union.
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Katrina’s Two-Sided Impact: Survey finds disorders, resilience after tragedy
In the year after surviving Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast residents experienced a surge in serious mental disorders combined with elements of personal growth and emotional resilience.
- Chemistry
Target Practice
As they study the biochemical processes that make Mycobacterium tuberculosis tick, researchers are finding new targets to exploit to combat the microbe.
- Anthropology
Mental Leap
As scientists discover traits shared by human and ape ancestors millions of years ago, they try to fill in the gaps of human evolution.
- Humans
Letters from the September 2, 2006, issue of Science News
B line “A Vexing Enigma: New insights confront chronic fatigue syndrome” (SN: 7/1/06, p. 10) implies that there’s not an available cure for chronic fatigue syndrome. I was amazed to find no mention of vitamin B12. I can attest to the remarkable effect. Earl L. PyeOak Hills, Calif. Limited evidence suggests that vitamin B12 absorption […]
