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19459
There is an error in this article. These Cassini results are based on thermal-infrared, not near-infrared data. The measurements were taken by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer and covered the spectral range from 100 to 450 inverse centimeters (100 to 22 micrometers). John PearlGreenbelt, Md. The Cassini craft also looks at near-infrared wavelengths, but not in […]
- Animals
Super Bird: Cooing doves flex extra-fast muscles
Muscles that control a dove's cooing belong to the fastest class of muscles known.
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A Very Spatial Brain Defect: Gene disorder blocks neural path for vision
Among its many unusual symptoms, the genetic disorder called Williams syndrome robs people of depth perception and the ability to visualize how different parts assemble into larger objects.
- Materials Science
Falling into Place: Atom mist yields nanobricks and mortar
Researchers have induced tiny particles of nickel to spontaneously assemble into exceptionally uniform, three-dimensional arrays of macroscopic size.
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19458
This article may have missed a “magic bullet” that would be effective against many forms of cancer. The researchers concentrate on a drug that blocks a mutated form of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, which may benefit 5 percent of lung cancer patients. Yet the article states that “if normal cell growth runs amok, […]
- Health & Medicine
An Exploitable Mutation: Defect might make some lung cancers treatable
Nonsmokers who develop lung cancer are more likely than their smoking counterparts to have a mutation in the gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor.
- Materials Science
Model Growth: Simulations expose branching nature of polymer crystals
Using computer models, scientists have uncovered previously unknown facets of the physics underlying polymer crystal growth.
- Earth
Cool Harvest: Frost on sea ice may boost atmosphere’s bromine
Frost flowers, the delicate crystals that sometimes grow atop fresh sea ice, can be a substantial source of ozone-destroying bromine in lower atmosphere near the poles.
- Earth
No Deep Breathing: Air pollution impedes lung development
Spending one's childhood in a community with polluted air stalls lung development roughly as much as does having a mother who smokes.
- Humans
Letters from the September 11, 2004, issue of Science News
Say what? I don’t think anyone should be surprised that squirrels have figured out how to say “nyah, nyah” to rattlesnakes (“Ultrasound alarms by ground squirrels,” SN: 7/3/04, p. 14: Ultrasound alarms by ground squirrels). After all, it’s what they’ve been saying to cats, dogs, and bird-feeder owning humans for years. R. Kelly WagnerAustin, Texas […]
- Chemistry
Meteorites may have delivered phosphorus
Meteorites may have supplied enough phosphorus to prebiotic Earth to spawn the first signs of life.
- Physics
Gold quantum dots
Scientists have created a new type of quantum dot that could find applications in everything from biological imaging to computer displays.
