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Vol. 176 No. #8Trustworthy journalism comes at a price.
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More Stories from the October 10, 2009 issue
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Health & Medicine
Dopamine primes kidneys for a new host
Giving dopamine infusions to brain-dead organ donors may make transplanted kidneys more resilient, a new study shows.
By Nathan Seppa -
Space
Panel reports on human spaceflight
Panel suggests how to get human spaceflight program off the ground.
By Ron Cowen -
Earth
Atmospheric rollercoaster followed Great Oxidation Event
Analyses of chromium isotopes in banded iron formations suggest oxygen levels fell for a period after the Great Oxidation Event.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & Medicine
The eyes remember
Eye movements may reveal memories that the hippocampus recalls even when a person isn’t aware of them, a new study shows.
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Space
Metamaterials mock the heavens
Proposed materials offer a way for physicists to study black holes and chaotic planetary orbits in the laboratory.
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Earth
A hurricane-spawned tornado boom
Cyclones striking the Gulf Coast in recent years have spawned more twisters that those that hit the region in the mid-20th century.
By Sid Perkins -
Animals
Ants in the pants drive away birds
Yellow crazy ants can get so annoying that birds don’t eat their normal fruits, a new study finds.
By Susan Milius -
Astronomy
Rock solid planet
Researchers have found the first compelling evidence for a rocky planet beyond the solar system.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Monkeys get full color vision
Male squirrel monkeys with red-green colorblindness can distinguish the hues after gene therapy, study suggests.
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Space
Galaxies that go the distance
Using a new camera on the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have found what appear to be the most distant known galaxies in the universe.
By Ron Cowen -
Psychology
Rates of common mental disorders double up
New, higher prevalence rates for certain mental disorders fuel a debate over how to revise psychiatric diagnoses.
By Bruce Bower -
Paleontology
Tiny T. rex-like tyrants
Fossils of new species suggest peculiar features weren’t limited to the biggest dinosaurs
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Life
Locust wings built for the long haul
Flexible wings help locusts maximize efficiency in flight, new research shows.
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Humans
Reviewers prefer positive findings
Biomedical research journals may be less likely to publish equivocal studies.
By Janet Raloff -
Green Intelligence: Creating Environments that Protect Human Health by John Wargo
Pollution’s past effects could inform today’s environmental policy. Yale Univ. Press, 2009, 400 p., $32.50. GREEN INTELLIGENCE: CREATING ENVIRONMENTS THAT PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH
By Science News -
Instant Egghead Guide: The Universe by J.R. Minkel and Scientific American
Bite-sized knowledge on subatomic particles, supernovas, time dilation and more.St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009, 221 p., $14.99. INSTANT EGGHEAD GUIDE: THE UNIVERSE
By Science News -
The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution by Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending
Genetic changes reveal how culture has shaped recent human evolution, the authors argue. Basic Books, 2009, 288 p., $27. THE 10,000 YEAR EXPLOSION: HOW CIVILIZATION ACCELERATED HUMAN EVOLUTION
By Science News -
Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt W. Beyer
This biography explores the trials and triumphs of one of computer programming’s few female pioneers.MIT Press, 2009, 389 p., $27.95. GRACE HOPPER AND THE INVENTION OF THE INFORMATION AGE
By Science News -
Book Review: How We Live and Why We Die: The Secret Lives of Cells by Lewis Wolpert
Review by Nathan Seppa.
By Science News -
Looking for a change on climate policy in Copenhagen
A Q&A with Richard A. Bradley.
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Space
Windows on the Universe
Astronomy’s multiwavelength revolution paints a more complete picture of the cosmos
By Ron Cowen -
Life
Enter the Virosphere
As evidence of the influence of viruses escalates, appreciation of these master manipulators grows.
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Health & Medicine
The Mesmerized Mind
Scientists are unveiling how the brain works when hypnotized
By Susan Gaidos -
Science Past from the issue of October 10, 1959
Reserpine Tranquilizes Chickens and Turkeys Calmer birds in the hen house are predicted with the development of a tranquilizer for chickens. A new product containing reserpine, a drug used to control high blood pressure and other human ills, has been developed…. Added to the chickens’ feed in very low concentrations it is said to help […]
By Science News -
Mathematics in 10 Lessons: The Grand Tour by Jerry P. King
A few fundamental principles and an aesthetic awareness underlie all math, King shows. Prometheus, 2009, 394 p., $18.95. Instant Egghead Guide: The Universe by J.R. Minkel and Scientific American Mathematics in 10 Lessons: The Grand Tour by Jerry P. King
By Science News