More Stories from the August 18, 2007 issue
- Animals
Badly matched birds make troubled parents
Cockatiel pairs that don't cooperate well have trouble raising their chicks.
- Animals
What’s so great about ‘chuck’?
A particular flourish in a male frog's call attracts extra interest from predators as well as female frogs, and researchers now have an idea why.
- Earth
How reading may protect the brain
People who read well show more resistance to the toxic brain effects of lead exposure.
- Tech
Uncharted atomic landscapes
A refinement to electron microscopes enables them not only to visualize atoms but also to identify different elements.
- Health & Medicine
Anti-inflammatory prevents pancreatic cancer in mice
An anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor family blocks precancerous lesions in mice prone to pancreatic cancer.
- Planetary Science
Geyser gawker: Plans for a closer look at Enceladus
The Cassini spacecraft will change course to take a close look next March at plumes of water vapor emanating from the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
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Mood Bugs: Beetle changes color in fluid fashion
A Central American beetle changes color in a novel way, using its body fluid to control the reflectivity of its shell.
- Health & Medicine
Calming Factor: DNA vaccine for MS passes initial test
A DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis passes a safety trial and shows signs of suppressing immune-directed nerve damage.
- Tech
A Moment in the Life of a Cell: Microscopic scan images without intruding
A laser technique similar to a CAT scan produces 3-D images of living cells without the need for chemical staining.
- Materials Science
Shocking Sheets: Power paper packs a punch
Ultrathin sheets made from cellulose and carbon nanotubes could serve as flexible, versatile batteries.
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Protein Lineages: Randomness was crucial to ancient genetic changes
Reconstruction of an ancient protein shows how seemingly unimportant mutations paved the way for its evolution into a molecule with an essential modern role.
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Depression Defense: Sick elderly get mood aid from home treatment
Instructional therapy to promote coping strategies helps elderly people with incipient blindness ward off depression—at least in the short run.
- Physics
Road Bumps: Why dirt roads develop a washboard surface
Experiments and a computer simulation show why dirt roads develop a washboard surface, and indicate the only way to prevent it: Drive very slowly.
- Planetary Science
Idiosyncratic Iapetus
The strange appearance of Saturn's moon Iapetus suggests that it was frozen in shape soon after birth, providing a glimpse into conditions in the early solar system.
- Chemistry
Alien Pizza, Anyone?
Although many biochemical molecules come in left-handed and right-handed versions, life on Earth uses one version exclusively, and some controversial experiments suggest this preference might not be due to chance.
- Humans
Letters from the August 18, 2007, issue of Science News
Exhaustive analysis I would debate the “1,000 watts or more” value attributed to typical adults during strenuous exercise (“Powering the Revolution: Tiny gadgets pick up energy for free,” SN: 6/2/07, p. 344). Hiking up steep slopes, I rarely exceed 250 W myself, and typical hikers are going much slower. The 1,000-watt figure can only apply […]
