More Stories from the May 22, 2010 issue
- Life
BATTLE trial personalizes lung cancer treatment
A new study makes a first step toward personalized chemotherapy.
- Health & Medicine
Colorectal cancer risk linked to stomach bacterium, inflammation
Stomach infection and high levels of inflammatory proteins are more common in people with colon polyps or disease, two studies show.
- Health & Medicine
Marker protein may help breast cancer screening
High amounts of EGFR can show up in the blood as much as 17 months before disease is diagnosed, a study finds.
- Earth
Studies aim to resolve confusion over mercury risks from fish
Several new papers suggest strategies by which American diners can negotiate a mercury minefield to tap dietary benefits in fish.
- Humans
Wha’dja say?
Casual speakers drop syllables and even whole words, eavesdropping scientists report.
- Space
Solar-staring spacecraft captures novel views of sun’s violence
NASA has released the first images recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the first craft to examine the sun’s entire disk at high resolution and over a multitude of wavelengths.
- Psychology
Dream a little dream of recall
As the sleeping brain builds memories it generates dreams about recently learned material, a new study suggests.
- Astronomy
Hubble’s new instant classic
NASA has released a stunning image of a nearby star-forming region to celebrate the telescope's 20th birthday.
- Animals
Chimps may be aware of others’ deaths
Reactions of chimps to dead companions and infants suggest a basic realization of what death entails.
- Paleontology
Dinos molted for a new look
In one species, adolescents appear to have sprouted a new type of feathers as they matured.
- Life
DNA comparison of identical twins finds no silver bullet for MS
The first study of its kind suggests an unknown environmental cause for multiple sclerosis, but future research could still yield a genetic trigger.
- Space
Measuring the weakest of forces
Precise measurements could be used to map tiny fluctuations in the surface properties of materials.
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- Life
One ocean, four (or more) killer whale species
A new genetic analysis splits killer whales into multiple taxa.
- Space
Asteroid-bound: Scientists look for worthy rock
Scientists consider how to pick a prime asteroid for human exploration
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Science Future for May 22, 2010
June 32010 Kavli Prize winners in neuroscience, astrophysics and nanoscience are announced. See www.kavliprize.no June 25 – 29Evolutionary scientists host a joint meeting in Portland, Ore. See www.evolutionsociety.org July 12 – 15 Computer scientists and engineers meet in Las Vegas for 22 joint conferences. See www.world-academy-of-science.org/worldcomp10
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Saturday Is For Funerals by Unity Dow and Max Essex
Stories from Botswana bring to life the challenges of solving the AIDS crisis in Africa. SATURDAY IS FOR FUNERALS BY UNITY DOW AND MAX ESSEX Harvard University Press, 2010, 218 p., $19.95.
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Blindspots: The Many Ways We Cannot See by Bruno G. Breitmeyer
A vision expert explores how the eyes, brain and thoughts work together to form mental images. BLINDSPOTS: THE MANY WAYS WE CANNOT SEE BY BRUNO G. BREITMEYER Oxford University Press, 2010, 266 p., $39.95.
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The Tuning of Place: Sociable Spaces and Pervasive Digital Media by Richard Coyne
Smartphones and iPods are changing the way people use public spaces, both real and virtual. THE TUNING OF PLACE: SOCIABLE SPACES AND PERVASIVE DIGITAL MEDIA BY RICHARD COYNE MIT Press, 2010, 330 p., $35.
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The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species by Shawn Thompson
A journalist travels to Sumatra and Borneo to study the apes and interview scientists. THE INTIMATE APE: ORANGUTANS AND THE SECRET LIFE OF A VANISHING SPECIES BY SHAWN THOMPSON Citadel Press, 2010, 292 p., $14.95.
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Book Review: Anthill: A Novel by E.O. Wilson
Review by Susan Milius.
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Confronting a third crisis in U.S. science education
Is science education broken in the United States? And if so, how should the country fix it? A working group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has been investigating these long-standing questions and is expected to issue a report on its policy recommendations this month. Science News Contributing Editor Alexandra […]
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- Physics
Physics on the Edge
Over the past couple of years, researchers have made several new discoveries involving bismuth telluride and other related materials, known as topological insulators.
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I, Mold
Conquering the rising tide of infection is hindered by the many similarities between humans and fungi.
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Letters
Making morphine The article “Chemists pin down poppy’s tricks for producing narcotic painkiller” (SN: 4/10/10, p. 5) may presage geopolitical changes in Afghanistan, regardless of whether there are engineered virus attacks or alternative crop programs. A technological advance like this one will eventually be used in the United States and Europe. Even if governments continue […]
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Science Past from the issue of May 21, 1960
PARENTS AND DELINQUENCY — A study of 400 juvenile delinquents in a mental hospital showed with “regular frequency” that the parents unconsciously fostered the delinquent behavior in their own children…. The parents show an addiction to the child’s delinquency that is much like drug addiction. They even suffer acute “withdrawal symptoms” when psychiatric treatment results […]
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Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari With a Cast of Trillions by Mark W. Moffett
A biologist and photographer (who earned his Ph.D. under E.O. Wilson) captures the hidden worlds of ants. ADVENTURES AMONG ANTS: A GLOBAL SAFARI WITH A CAST OF TRILLIONS BY MARK W. MOFFETT University of California Press, 2010, 280 p., $29.95.
