More Stories from the February 13, 2010 issue
- Life
Sea slug steals genes for greens, makes chlorophyll like a plant
A sea slug, long known as a kidnapper of algal biochemistry, can make its own supply of a key photosynthetic compound.
- Earth
Hydrothermal vent environments not unchanging
Once-rare organisms can become dominant, probably as some environmental conditions change over time.
- Health & Medicine
Gene variant might guard against Alzheimer’s, other dementia
Same form has been linked to longevity and ‘good’ cholesterol levels.
- Health & Medicine
Study supports connection between BPA and heart disease
U.S. population data reveal possible relationship between cardiovascular risk and plastics chemical.
- Life
Soybean genome turns out to be soysoybeanbean
The plant's newly sequenced genetic blueprint includes a surprising number of spare copies.
- Psychology
Newborns nurse long-term memories of smells
Newborn babies readily link specific scents to breast-feeding and favor those smells as toddlers.
- Life
Alligators breathe like birds
Tricky measurements of flow reveal that air moves through the animal in one direction.
- Health & Medicine
Benefits of omega-3 fatty acids tally up
A study of patients with sepsis and a second in people with heart disease suggest the fish oil compound may aid health.
- Life
Snail in shining armor
A deep-sea gastropod’s natural shield may offer ideas for human protection.
- Humans
Children grasp time with distance in mind
A study of Greek school children indicates that spatial knowledge lies at the root of how youngsters conceptualize time.
- Humans
Minor air traffic delays add up to big costs
On average, the economic impact of late flights exceeds that of hurricanes
- Materials Science
Breakup doesn’t keep hydrogel down
Scientists create a new material that is strong, soft and self-healing.
- Life
MRSA bacterial strain mutates quickly as it spreads
Antibiotic-resistant microbe's detailed family tree reveals roots of the global infection.
- Math
Slime mold is master network engineer
Single-cell organism develops food distribution system that is as efficient as the Tokyo rail system; inspires new math model for designing dynamic systems.
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Crop irrigation could be cooling Midwest
A recent drop in summer highs may be linked to greater moisture from the Great Plains.
- Earth
Tsunamis could telegraph their imminent arrival
Telecommunication cables could give early warnings of giant waves.
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Science Future for February 13, 2010
February 22–26 The American Geophysical Union’s Ocean Sciences meeting is held in Portland, Ore. See www.agu.org/meetings/os10 March 5–6 Researchers and clinicians meet in San Diego to discuss genomic medicine’s future. See www.scripps.org/events March 18 Debut of an interactive exhibit on extreme weather at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. See www.msichicago.org
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On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear by Richard Ellis
The natural history of polar bears entwines with human history in this science writer’s ode to the world’s largest land carnivore. ON THIN ICE: THE CHANGING WORLD OF THE POLAR BEAR BY RICHARD ELLIS Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, 400 p., $28.95.
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So You Want to Be a Scientist? by Philip A. Schwartzkroin
A neuroscientist describes the pros, cons and politics of a career in research for aspiring scientists. SO YOU WANT TO BE A SCIENTIST? BY PHILIP A. SCHWARTZKROIN Oxford University Press, 2009, 192 p., $19.95.
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Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life by Scott D. Sampson
The past three decades have seen a plethora of major discoveries, described here, about dinosaurs and prehistoric Earth. DINOSAUR ODYSSEY: FOSSIL THREADS IN THE WEB OF LIFE BY SCOTT D. SAMPSON University of California Press, 2009, 332 p., $29.95.
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Gifts from the Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait by William W. Fitzhugh, Julie Hollowell and Aron L. Crowell, eds.
The histories of Arctic cultures are explored through scholarly essays, illustrations and photos of the region’s intricately carved relics. GIFTS FROM THE ANCESTORS: ANCIENT IVORIES OF BERING STRAIT BY WILLIAM W. FITZHUGH, JULIE HOLLOWELL AND ARON L. CROWELL, EDS. Yale University Press, 2009, 328 p., $55.
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Before the Big Bang: The Prehistory of Our Universe by Brian Clegg
A scientist-writer explains theories of the universe’s origin for the nonscientist. BEFORE THE BIG BANG: THE PREHISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSE BY BRIAN CLEGG St. Martin’s Press, 2009, 306 p., $25.99.
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The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals Died Out and We Survived by Clive Finlayson
An evolutionary ecologist argues that humans weren’t superior to other hominid species, only luckier. THE HUMANS WHO WENT EXTINCT: WHY NEANDERTHALS DIED OUT AND WE SURVIVED BY CLIVE FINLAYSON Oxford University Press, 2009, 273 p., $29.95.
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Book Review: What On Earth Evolved? 100 Species That Changed the World by Christopher Lloyd
Review by Sid Perkins.
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Book Review: The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things by Cathy Cobb and Monty L. Fetterolf
Review by Rachel Ehrenberg.
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Making informed decisions about mammograms
In November, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a nongovernmental advisory panel of health experts, recommended that routine mammography for breast cancer screening start at age 50, not 40. It met with a chorus of objections. Lisa Schwartz, a general internist at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in Lebanon, N.H., investigates […]
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Breaking it Down
Studies of how things fall apart may lead to materials that don’t.
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Starting Anew
Scientists turn to lowly creatures to unlock the secrets of regeneration.
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Letters
Snack addicts The experiment outlined in “Junk food turns rats into addicts” (SN: 11/21/09, p. 8) seems to have overlooked an ingredient list. The junk foods fed to the rats were junky, to be sure, but which foods were the most addictive? Many junk foods are filled with alarming amounts of things like monosodium glutamate. […]
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Science Past from the issue of February 13, 1960
DISCOVERY ADDS CLUES TO COMPOSITION OF LIGNIN — The sugar glucose is part of the answer to a biochemical riddle — the exact composition of lignin. Lignin, which together with cellulose comprises wood, is a highly complex carbohydrate whose complete structure is unknown. It is considered a waste product…. Experiments … have shown that in […]
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Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making by Gary Klein
Good decision makers share traits such as being accepting of ambiguity and complexity, one scientist argues. MIT Press, 2009, 337 p., $27.95. STREETLIGHTS AND SHADOWS: SEARCHING FOR THE KEYS TO ADAPTIVE DECISION MAKING BY GARY KLEIN
