More Stories from the February 17, 2007 issue
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Two dimensions of mind perception
A new survey indicates that people discern the presence or absence of a mental life in others by assessing two general dimensions of thought.
- Astronomy
Tiny shutters for new observatory
A recently developed device, known as a microshutter, will allow the proposed James Webb Space Telescope to simultaneously record the spectra of light from 100 galaxies.
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Terrorism sparks heartfelt aftermath
Although terror-attack survivors often rebound emotionally, their bodies stay on heightened alert long after such traumas, according to tests of witnesses to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
- Health & Medicine
Orexin-blocking pill speeds sleep onset
A new compound that inhibits the activity of the alertness-promoting brain peptide orexin shows promise as a potential sleeping pill.
- Health & Medicine
Small tweaks prevent 1918-flu transmission
Just a couple of small genetic changes in a pandemic flu virus prevented it from passing efficiently between lab animals.
- Planetary Science
Titan’s organic cloud
The Cassini spacecraft has imaged a huge cloud that engulfs most of the north pole of Saturn's icy moon Titan and could be a source of the moon's hydrocarbon lakes.
- Anthropology
Chimpanzee Stone Age: Finds in Africa rock prehistory of tools
Researchers have uncovered evidence of a chimpanzee stone age that started at least 4,300 years ago in West Africa.
- Health & Medicine
Clear the Way: Stenting opens jammed arteries in the brain
Using a tiny mesh cylinder called a stent, doctors can prop open narrowed arteries in the brain much as they do in the heart.
- Astronomy
On the Trail of Dead Planets: Dust ring around a white dwarf
Infrared observations have depicted the dusty vestiges of a planetary system dancing around a dead star.
- Health & Medicine
Taking Cancer’s Fingerprint: Rapid genetic profiling for personalized therapy
A new, faster way to identify cancer-causing mutations in the DNA of tumor cells may pave the way for the next generation of custom-tailored cancer therapies.
- Earth
Stroke of Good Fortune: A wealth of data from petrified lightning
The lumps of glass created when lightning strikes sandy ground can preserve information about ancient climate.
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Bridging the Divide? Technique sheds light on cleft palate gene
A new approach has enabled researchers to prevent cleft palate in mice genetically engineered to develop that birth defect.
- Animals
Perils of Migration: New evidence that bats stalk birds
Big Mediterranean bats snatch migrating songbirds out of the night sky in spring and fall.
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Net Heads
With a new arsenal of mathematical approaches, neuroscientists are unraveling the surprisingly few steps messages take to traverse the vast networks of brain cells underlying thought and perception.
- Animals
What’s Going on Down There?
In a 10-year, global effort, researchers exploring the unknowns of marine life have found bizarre fish, living-fossil shrimp, giant microbes, and a lot of other new neighbors.
- Humans
Letters from the February 17, 2007, issue of Science News
Fear factor In response to “The Predator’s Gaze” (SN: 12/9/06, p. 379), I write as a psychiatrist and a mother. My ex-husband is now in prison, and my son likely carries the genes of sociopathy. The quality of fearlessness mentioned in the article seems to be one of the temperamental traits most associated with the […]
