Notebook

Science Past from the issue of September 24, 1960

SCLEROSIS AND COSMIC RAYS — Radiation bombarding the earth from space may be a factor in the occurrence of multiple sclerosis, the Harvard University neurologist Dr. John S. Barlow believes.… Dr. Barlow’s statistical study of the distribution of multiple sclerosis shows that the frequencies of occurrence of the disease vary systematically with geomagnetic latitude. The […]

Science Future for September 11, 2010

September 16 The North Carolina Museum of Life and Science hosts a Science of Beer event. Go to www.ncmls.org/visit/events/science-beer September 26 An exhibit on archaeology of the Ottoman Empire comes to Philadelphia. See www.penn.museum/upcoming-exhibits.html October 15 Entry deadline for National Engineers Week Future City design competition for middle-schoolers. See www.futurecity.org

Science Past from September 10, 1960 issue

PRIMARY CLUE TO MATTER — The shortest lifetime of an elementary particle — only a quarter of a millionth of a billionth of a second — gives a primary clue to the structure of matter…. [S]cientists have known for about ten years of the neutral pi-meson and have been trying to pin down its lifetime. […]

Science Future for August 28, 2010

September 11 Air and Space Museum’s     September Star Party near Paris, Va. See www.nasm.si.edu/events/skywatching/ September 15 – 17 Researchers and policy makers meet in Austin, Texas, to discuss aging in the Americas. Go to www.utexas.edu/lbj/caa/2010 October 4 – 8 World virologists meet in Italy about HIV/AIDS and cancer. See www.ihv.org

Science Past from the issue of August 27, 1960

CAT PHOBIA TREATMENT — [A] patient was cured of cat phobia by forcing herself to handle velvet until she got used to it. The patient, a 37-year-old married woman …  had had a fear of cats as long as she could remember…. The therapist began … [with] what she felt was the least objectionable idea […]

Science Future for August 14, 2010

September 12 – 13 A conference in Chicago focuses on the links between epilepsy and depression. See www.epilepsyanddepressivedisorders.com September 15 The 2010 International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge entry deadline. Go to www.nsf.gov/news/scivis October 4 – 8Planetary scientists meet in Pasadena, Calif. See dps.aas.org/meetings/2010

Science Past | FROM THE ISSUE OF AUGUST 13, 1960

SCIENTISTS CALCULATE HOW MAN MAY FLY LIKE BIRD — Man may some day be able to fly by flapping a set of artificial wings, two Chilean scientists assert…. A 154-pound man equipped with 66 pounds of flight accessories would need wings about 10 feet long with a flight surface of 60 square feet. To maintain […]

Science Future for July 31, 2010

August 14 – 17The American Sociological Association meets in Atlanta. See www.asanet.org/meetings August 30 – September 3Researchers and policy makers meet in Boston to discuss environmental factors affecting penguin population health. See www.penguinconference.org September 1A psychologist lectures in New York City on the connection between beauty and happiness. See www.nyas.org/events

Science Past  from the issue of July 30, 1960

LIP-SMACKING GRASSHOPPER — A grasshopper with a talent for lip-smacking has turned out to be quite an unusual insect. Paratylotropidia brunneri Scudder is the first insect known to communicate over fairly long distances by producing an audible sound from the mouth — literally smacking its lips…. Produced at the rate of six or seven per […]

Science Future for July 17, 2010

July 25 – 29 An international group of animal behavior specialists meets in Williamsburg, Va. See animalbehaviorsociety.org/absmeetings August 22 – 26 The fall meeting of the American Chemical Society is held in Boston. See www.acs.org September 1 Deadline to submit videos for Science’s “Dance Your Ph.D.” Contest. See submission guidelines at gonzolabs.org/dance

Science Past from the issue of July 16, 1960

From the issue of July 16, 1960 One-eyed robot hunts objects lost in the sea — A one-eyed, swimming robot with powerful claw-like pincers is being developed for hunting and retrieving objects lost in the ocean at depths up to 2,000 feet. Solaris, as the robot is called, has propellers for motion. When its TV […]

Science Past from the issue of July 2, 1960

HIGH MILK CONTAMINATION FROM NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS — Radioactive contamination of milk is likely to be “the most widespread hazard” resulting from a nuclear accident or explosion depositing fission products on agricultural land, according to recent studies in England reported in a forthcoming issue of Nature…. Elements that appeared to cause the greatest contamination are the […]