More Stories from the December 16, 2006 issue
- Tech
A nano–cheese slicer
Stringing a carbon nanotube between two needles yields a nanoscale cheese knife that could improve slicing of biological samples.
- Astronomy
The magnetic link between star and planet
Astronomers have for the first time directly measured the magnetic field of a star known to host a giant planet.
- Earth
Pesticides mimic estrogen in shellfish
Two common water pollutants can function in shellfish as estrogen does, but they have different behavioral effects on two species.
- Anthropology
South African find gets younger
The partial skeleton of a human ancestor previously found in South Africa dates to about 2.2 million years ago, roughly 1 million years younger than the original estimates.
- Anthropology
Neandertals’ tough Stone Age lives
Neandertals that 43,000 years ago inhabited what's now northern Spain faced periodic food shortages and possibly resorted to cannibalism to survive.
- Chemistry
Happy fish?
Researchers have detected antidepressant drugs in the brains of fish captured downstream of sewage-treatment plants.
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Stem cells from bone marrow make new fat
Some body fat comes from stem cells that migrate out of bone marrow.
- Health & Medicine
Express delivery for cancer drugs
A new drug-delivery method has dramatically reduced tumors in experiments conducted with mice.
- Astronomy
Comet Sampler: Specimens show that inner and outer solar system mixed
Just as the solar system was forming some 4.6 billion years ago, some of the hottest material, residing so close to the sun that it was almost vaporized, sped out to the chilliest reaches of deep space, where it became incorporated into comets.
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Sniffle-Busting Personalities: Positive mood guards against getting colds
People with generally positive outlooks show greater resistance to developing colds than do individuals who rarely revel in upbeat feelings.
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Hottest Fixer: Undersea-vent microbe sets nitrogen record
A spherical microbe from the weird world of hot-water ocean vents has trumped the nitrogen-processing powers of all organisms previously studied.
- Earth
Spread Out: Organic matter scatters carbon nanotubes in water
Although carbon nanotubes usually clump in water, they readily disperse when the water contains natural organic matter.
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Feel No Pain, for Real: Mutation appears to underlie rare sensation disorder in a Pakistani family
Scientists have tracked down a genetic mutation that makes some members of an unusual family unable to feel pain.
- Health & Medicine
Catching Flu’s Drift: Vaccines fight unexpected influenza
Vaccination can prevent three of every four flu infections, even when the vaccines are imperfectly tailored to block the common wintertime pathogens.
- Math
A Fair Slice: New method makes for equitable eating
A new method for cutting cake yields slices that make everyone equally happy.
- Humans
Peer Review under the Microscope
The traditional method for communicating results of scientific research could get its biggest facelift in hundreds of years.
- Health & Medicine
Salad Doubts
Researchers are looking into new ways to sanitize harvested produce and prevent foodborne pathogens from infecting people.
- Humans
Letters from the December 16, 2006, issue of Science News
Familiar pattern I am a retired high school mathematics teacher who has quilted mathematical ideas for over 20 years. Currently, I am working on a quilt called Pascal’s Pumpkin. I was totally excited by “Swirling Seas, Crystal Balls: Spirals of triangles crinkle into intricate structures” (SN: 10/21/06, p. 266) and began to think about quilting […]
