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19031
I found the article on Welwitschia enthralling–it made me want to set off for the Namibian desert straightaway! The author mentions that a local name for the plant is “long-haired thing,” but an even more evocative and picturesque one is the Afrikaans tweeblarkanniedood (two-leaf-cannot-die). Darwin was fascinated when he learned of Welwitschia and its extraordinary […]
- Plants
Torn to Ribbons in the Desert
Botanists puzzle over one of Earth's oddest plants: the remarkably scraggly Welwitschia of southwestern Africa.
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From the October 24, 1931, issue
GLACIERS CAUSED GEOLOGICAL MOVING DAYS Evolution, not revolution is a nice-sounding catchword used on all sorts of occasions by all sorts of people, especially by conservative politicians posing as liberals. But a broad view of the evolutionary stage, recorded by a leading scientist who has just left it, indicates that evolution has often proceeded by […]
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Anthrax and Other Bioterrors
There are reasons that terrorists have been sending anthrax–and threatening anthrax exposure–to people around the United States: Its scary (and deadly). Understanding that, the Medical Library Association has put together a Web page to help physicians, parents, teachers, and others learn more about anthrax, smallpox, botulinum toxin, plague, and other bioterrors–and the extent to which […]
- Math
Firm Data
Business firms range in size from boutiques operated by individuals to huge multinational corporations employing thousands. You would expect that there are fewer large businesses than small ones. In economics, however, it’s useful to characterize the size distribution of firms more precisely than that. Within an industry, for example, the firm size distribution would indicate […]
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Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Some scientists suggest that a better understanding of hair biology might not only lead to new treatments for people with too little (or too much) hair but also shed light on cancer, the growth and development of bodily organs, and other matters.
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Ant invaders strand seeds without rides
Invading Argentine ants may reshape the plant composition of the South African fynbos ecosystem because the newcomers don't disperse seeds.
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Rare sheep cloned from dead donor
An international team used cells from recently dead ewes of the rare mouflon sheep to clone a lamb.
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Dolly Was Lucky
Scientists studying the data on animal cloning argue that cloning a person would be unsafe.
- Chemistry
Milk protein does a membrane good
Chemical engineers have created a new type of durable membrane from whey protein, a natural component of milk.
- Chemistry
Molecules, like Tinkertoys, link up
Researchers have tailored molecules so that they self-assemble into predictable shapes on a gold surface.
- Paleontology
Even flossing wouldn’t have helped
Small particles trapped in minuscule cracks or pits in the teeth of plant-eating dinosaurs could give scientists a way to identify the types of greenery the ancient herbivores were munching.
