More Stories from the August 30, 2003 issue
- Paleontology
Oh, what a sticky web they wove
A look inside a piece of 130-million-year-old amber has revealed a thin filament of spider silk with sticky droplets that look just like those produced by modern spiders.
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Meditation changes
People who meditate display particularly strong immune responses and brain activity that has been linked to emotional improvements, according to preliminary data.
- Earth
Big worries about little tubes
The size and chemical makeup of some nanotubes being developed for industrial operations resemble mineral fibers, including asbestos, that pose a serious cancer risk.
- Earth
Testing computers’ hazardous potential
The approved test for evaluating the ability of wastes to leach toxic metals fails to identify lead risks from some electronics equipment.
- Earth
Nonstick but not nontoxic
A proliferating pollutant shed by nonstick products and surfactants caused neonatal deaths and developmental impairments in tests with rodents.
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Dyslexia’s DNA Clue: Gene takes stage in learning disorder
For the first time, scientists have identified a gene that appears to influence the development of at least some cases of dyslexia.
- Earth
Long Ride West: Many western sediments came from Appalachians
Much of the material in several thick layers of sandstone in the western United States originated in the Appalachians.
- Astronomy
Black Hole Life Preserver: Don’t get sucked in without one
By temporarily counteracting a black hole's tremendous tidal forces, a proposed black hole life preserver would slightly lengthen the life and shorten the agony of anyone exploring one of these gravitational beasts.
- Animals
To Bee He or She: Honeybees use novel sex-setting switch
After more than a decade of work, an international team has found the main gene that separates the girls from the boys among honeybees.
- Materials Science
Plastic Chips: New materials boost organic electronics
A new class of electrically conducting organic molecules provides researchers with improved materials with which to fabricate plastic electronic devices.
- Health & Medicine
Better Bones: Women benefit from low dose of estrogen
Ultralow doses of estrogen and progesterone given to postmenopausal women boost bone density compared with placebos, without causing the adverse effects seen in some women who get larger doses of these hormones.
- Astronomy
Stellar Tantrums: Tracking the flaring cycles of other stars
Astronomers are closely tracking the ebb and flow of magnetic activity and powerful flares on stars other than the sun.
- Tech
Mind-Expanding Machines
Researchers have designed computer systems aimed at amplifying human thought and perception, such as a new type of cockpit display for aircraft pilots that exploits the power of peripheral vision.
- Math
Infinite Wisdom
A mathematician has proposed a new approach to resolve a long-standing question about infinite sets of numbers.
