Uncategorized
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19012
I remember reading about Ishi back in the 1970s when I was a teenager, and I was saddened anew by the story of the repatriation of his preserved brain. I hope that Alfred and Theodora Kroeber’s child, novelist Ursula K. LeGuin, will at some point take up the intriguing question posed in your story. How […]
By Science News - Anthropology
Ishi’s Long Road Home
The reappearance of a California Indian's preserved brain, held at the Smithsonian Institution since 1917, triggers debate over the ethics of anthropological research and the repatriation process.
By Bruce Bower - Materials Science
Tiny gems on steps find future in films
The discovery of diamond-crystal seeds on steps in silicon may lead to long-sought, large wafers of pure, single-crystal diamond for electronics and other uses.
By Peter Weiss -
The moon also rises—and assumes new sizes
The perplexing human tendency to perceive a moon on the horizon as larger than an elevated moon may arise from visual cues indicating that the horizon moon is located much farther away.
By Bruce Bower -
19011
I was surprised to learn that scientists have yet to solve the secret of why the moon looks larger when rising. Years ago, I was told by a teacher that the moon looks biggest when rising (or setting) because the observer is looking through more atmosphere, and thus its light is scattered more, changing its […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Glutamate glut linked to multiple sclerosis
The chemical glutamate can overwhelm nervous-system cells called oligodendrocytes, adding to the nerve damage caused by wayward immune cells in multiple sclerosis.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
Electrical superball pulls itself together
A strong electric field can drive tiny particles of a superconductor to bind themselves together into a remarkably sturdy ball.
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Blood cues sex choice for parasites
Malaria parasites shift their female-biased production of offspring toward a more evenly balanced sex ratio as an infection proceeds.
By John Travis -
19010
This article describes the myelin sheath as “made of protein.” However, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (online) provides the following definition of myelin: “a soft white somewhat fatty material …” (emphasis added). Ann M. ThrockmortonLa Mesa, Calif. That’s right. There was an oversimplification in the story. Myelin is made up mostly of lipids .–D. Christensen
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Learning from leprosy’s nerve damage
The bacterium that causes leprosy directly damages a protective sheathing around many nerve cells.
- Ecosystems
Famine reveals incredible shrinking iguanas
Marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands are the first vertebrates known to reduce their size during a food shortage and then regrow to their original body lengths.
By Susan Milius - Environment
Old thermometers pose new problems
Though health groups advocate getting mercury thermometers out of the home, obtaining sound advice on how to dispose of the thermometers can be problematic.
By Janet Raloff