Uncategorized
- Tech
Micromachine runs on nuclear power
Radioactivity creates electric fields that wiggle a tiny lever.
By Peter Weiss - Math
Probabilities in Bingo
One of the little pleasures of our annual winter vacation is an evening Bingo party. After a day of sledding and cross-country skiing, it’s relaxing to indulge in a social game that requires minimal thought, affords young and old the same chance of winning, and has a strong element of suspense. To play Bingo, each […]
- Paleontology
Sea Dragons
About 235 million years ago, as the earliest dinosaurs stomped about on land, some of their reptilian relatives slipped back into the surf, took on an aquatic lifestyle, and became ichthyosaurs—Greek for fish lizards.
By Sid Perkins -
19104
In this article Swedish scientists report finding “as much as 200 µg/kg [of acrylamide] in mashed potatoes,” while stating in a subsequent paragraph that boiling potatoes “appeared to generate none.” I am curious to know how they make mashed potatoes in Sweden. I always boil mine. Paul NelsonHouston, Texas You state that boiled potatoes have […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Cooking Up a Carcinogen
The discovery that acrylamide—a known animal carcinogen—forms in many foods as they fry or bake has prompted the development of an international research network to investigate whether it poses a threat.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
Don’t eat the pepper-flavored paint
A derivative of the spicy chemical in chili peppers could find its way into a variety of products, including veterinary sutures and fiber optic cables.
By Corinna Wu - Chemistry
Glowing bacteria gobble gook in soil
A genetically engineered bacterium lights up as it breaks down organic contaminants in soil.
By Corinna Wu -
Nogo makes cord regrowth a no go
Researchers have identified the gene for a protein that inhibits the regrowth of nerves in the spinal cord.
By John Travis -
Protein may help the eyes tell time
A human version of melanopsin, originally found in the skin, eyes, and brains of frogs, has been discovered in the inner retina and may be the long-sought photoreceptor for the human biological clock.
By John Travis - Astronomy
A chance to point Hubble
Get out your heavenly wish list: Astronomers working with the Hubble Space Telescope are soliciting suggestions for where to point the orbiting observatory this summer.
By Ron Cowen - Astronomy
A possible signal from Polar Lander
Astronomers may have heard a faint signal from the vanished Mars Polar Lander spacecraft last month but, as of mid-February, have not detected another.
By Ron Cowen -
19105
As a trainer of tracking dogs, I was interested in your article about attempts to duplicate electronically the scenting ability of dogs. Even if these expensive, high-tech artificial dog noses are successful, however, they are not likely to be of much benefit to the “62 countries worldwide” strewn with “more than 100 million land mines.” […]
By Science News