Uncategorized
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Paleontology
Oh, what a sticky web they wove
A look inside a piece of 130-million-year-old amber has revealed a thin filament of spider silk with sticky droplets that look just like those produced by modern spiders.
By Sid Perkins -
Humans
Remembering Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling won the 1962 Nobel prize in chemistry for his research into the nature of chemical bonding and later won the Nobel peace prize and promoted the health benefits of vitamin C. This National Library of Medicine Web site highlights Pauling’s achievements and offers access to parts of a large collection of his personal […]
By Science News -
Humans
From the August 26, 1933, issue
AN APE FOR A BABY SISTER If it is not possible or desirable to bring up the young human removed from human surroundings–why not test the effects of civilization in the reverse matter? Why not bring up an ape infant in a human home–place him in a human babys bed, dress him in infants clothes, […]
By Science News -
19038
In the article about infinity, the “stereoscopic” images of tiny squares on page 140 are too far apart to view in the conventional way. However, if the viewer holds the magazine at arm’s length and looks cross-eyed at the pair, the diagonal across the square becomes visible. Robin FrostSanta Barbara, Calif.
By Science News -
Math
Infinite Wisdom
A mathematician has proposed a new approach to resolve a long-standing question about infinite sets of numbers.
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Tech
Mind-Expanding Machines
Researchers have designed computer systems aimed at amplifying human thought and perception, such as a new type of cockpit display for aircraft pilots that exploits the power of peripheral vision.
By Bruce Bower -
Math
SET Math
The card game known as SET® is deceptively simple. Its object is to identify, as quickly as possible, a grouping (SET) of three cards, selected from 12 cards laid out face up on a table. A SET deck has 81 (34) cards. Each card displays a design with four attributes: shape, number, shading, and color. […]
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The Naked Truth? Lice hint at a recent origin of clothing
A study of genetic differences among human lice hints at the origin of clothing.
By John Travis -
Earth
Clearing the Air: Ozone-killing bromine is on the decline
Chemical analyses of Earth's lower atmosphere show that the overall concentration of bromine, a component of some potent ozone-destroying chemicals, has dropped by 5 percent since peaking in 1998.
By Sid Perkins -
Uneasy Breathing: Lung ills linked to suicidal thoughts
Patients who suffer from asthma and other lung disorders report thoughts of suicide and self-harm far more often than do people treated for other physical illnesses.
By Bruce Bower -
Animals
Musical Pairs: Egg-deploying bird species divide for a song
A new genetic analysis bolsters the idea that musical taste, rather than geography, split Africa's indigobirds into multiple species.
By Susan Milius -
Tech
Bomb Sniffer: Cantilevers detect trace amounts of explosives
An ultra-sensitive chemical sensor uses microcantilevers to detect airborne plastic explosives within seconds.