Uncategorized
- Planetary Science
Nearby star may have its own asteroid belt
Observations of warm dust swaddling a young, nearby star suggest that astronomers may have found evidence of a massive asteroid belt outside the solar system.
- Health & Medicine
Soy estrogens: Too much of a good thing?
Two studies of female mice suggest that genistein, an estrogen analog found in soy, could contribute to cancer risk.
- Earth
Memory problems linked to PCBs in fish
Adult exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls, from eating tainted fish, correlate with lower scores on learning and memorization tasks.
- Materials Science
Scientists get a handle on crystal shape
Researchers have discovered how the orientation of amino acid molecules can make a growing crystal take on either a right- or a left-handed form.
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Healthy aging may depend on past habits
A 60-year study indicates that middle-aged men can exert a considerable amount of personal control over their eventual physical and mental health as seniors.
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18951
That is a neat little recycle program described in “New test traces underground forest carbon.” As fast as the CO2 comes out of the ground, the tree grabs the carbon by photosynthesis and leaves two oxygen atoms in the atmosphere. A portion of the carbon is stored until the wood rots or burns. Some carbon […]
- Earth
New test traces underground forest carbon
An unusual method of studying soil respiration by girdling trees may clear up several vital mysteries in the way carbon cycles through forests.
- Earth
Global Warming Debate Gets Hotter
President Bush gets the global warming report he commissioned just days before he meets with European leaders.
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18950
In the space of a single paragraph, you report that the National Academy of Sciences and the United Nations conclude that human activity “very likely” has caused global warming and that “uncertainties remain about the role of human-generated gas emissions.” One can’t have it both ways. Given the uncertainties involved, President Bush is following the […]
- Math
Bubbles and Math Olympiads
Predicting the geometric shapes of soap bubble clusters can lead to surprisingly difficult mathematical problems. Which one of these two configurations of five planar bubbles of equal area has the smaller total perimeter? The more symmetric candidate isn’t always the winner. Frank Morgan Frank Morgan of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., recently illustrated such difficulties […]
- Math
Bubbles and Math Olympiads
Predicting the geometric shapes of soap bubble clusters can lead to surprisingly difficult mathematical problems. Which one of these two configurations of five planar bubbles of equal area has the smaller total perimeter? The more symmetric candidate isn’t always the winner. Frank Morgan Frank Morgan of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., recently illustrated such difficulties […]
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Geo Name Game
Is your name Bob? Want to see how many lakes in the United States are named after you? (Twelve in all, and four of them are in Michigan!) The U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) contains data about nearly 2 million geographic features in the United States. Just enter a name or any […]
