Uncategorized
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19841
People get excited about the birds and bats killed by 400-foot windmills planted in their flyways, but the average wind speed should also be considered. In our region, the wind speed averages 11 to 12 miles per hour, but the windmills are most efficient where winds are 30 mph. Unfortunately, many regions with good wind […]
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Past Impressions
New research sheds light on the century-old concept of transference, a mental process in which people re-experience past relationships in new interactions.
- Astronomy
Big Broadcast
A record-breaking radio burst from the sun last Dec. 6 temporarily overwhelmed scores of GPS receivers, highlighting the hazard of radio storms on Earth.
- Humans
Letters from the June 9, 2007, issue of Science News
Safe passage I have to ask you to remove the subtitle “Dangerous Bridge” under the photograph of the exit ramp from the New Jamarat Bridge in Saudi Arabia (“Formula for Panic: Crowd-motion findings may prevent stampedes,” SN: 4/7/07, p. 213). There has never been an accident on that ramp, and the bridge is now being […]
- Humans
From the May 29, 1937, issue
An ancient Miss America, an indivisible neutron, and crystallized catalase.
- Earth
NOAA’s Virtual World
Players of the virtual reality game Second Life can now soar through a virtual hurricane, experience rising through the atmosphere atop a weather balloon, and more at the National Atmospheric Administration’s new site. Go to: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/outreach/sl/
- Physics
Magnetic Logic: Electron spins could do cool calculations
Novel circuits use electrons as tiny bar magnets to process information.
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Take a Number: Kids show math insights without instruction
Kindergartners can solve relatively complex addition and subtraction problems if allowed to use their intuitive grasp of approximate quantities rather than being required to calculate exact solutions.
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19840
While testing was done on 5- or 6-year-old children, it would be interesting to see if this intuitive skill persists after these students are exposed to standard mathematical instruction in the higher grades. I suspect that the answer will be no, as students restricted to a method of learning math will be deprived of this […]
- Chemistry
Packaging Peril: Chemicals in food wrapping turn toxic
Chemicals that prevent grease from seeping through food packaging can transform into a suspected carcinogen.
- Health & Medicine
Visualizing Cancer: Images of tumors can detect gene expression
Subtle features in X-ray images of tumors let radiologists infer which genes are active in the cancerous growth.
- Animals
Pothole Pals: Ants pave roads for fellow raiders
By throwing their bodies into tiny potholes on rough trails, army ants enable their comrade to race over them, improving the colony's overall foraging success.
