More Stories from the February 25, 2012 issue
- Space
Planets as common as stars in Milky Way
A new analysis suggests the galaxy is riddled with worlds.
- Tech
Twitter kept up with Haiti cholera outbreak
Epidemiologists find that social media can be used to track disease outbreaks as they happen, even in countries with little infrastructure.
- Life
Rising carbon dioxide confuses brain signaling in fish
Nerve cells respond to acidifying waters.
- Life
Boas take pulse as they snuff it out
Snakes use the waning throb in their prey as a signal to stop squeezing.
- Earth
Carbonation brings diamonds to surface
Chemical reactions deep inside the Earth fuel magma’s gem-laden upward journey.
- Health & Medicine
Sleep solidifies bad feelings
A night of slumber reinforces not just traumatic memories but the negative emotions that go with them, one study finds.
- Humans
Junk food in schools gets weighty reprieve
Disputed data suggest that non-nutritious eats sold on-site don’t fatten kids.
- Humans
Election night numbers can signal fraud
Wealth of high-turnout blowouts in Russia’s 2011 parliamentary contest strongly suggests ballot stuffing, an analysis concludes.
- Health & Medicine
Turn off, tune in, drop out
Magic mushrooms reduce blood flow to parts of the brain responsible for sense of self.
- Health & Medicine
Social friction tied to inflammation
Negative interactions with others or stressful competition for another’s attention seem to have risky biological effects on an individual.
- Space
More like Faux-malhaut b
The Spitzer Space Telescope fails to find a visible planet circling where Hubble saw one four years ago.
- Psychology
Fighting willpower’s catch-22
Avoiding daily temptations works better than using willpower, which has oddly unintended effects.
- Humans
Predatory pythons shift Everglades ecology
As invasive snakes expand territory, some mammal populations drop by more than 90 percent within a decade.
- Humans
Arsenic-based life finding fails follow-up
Tests see no evidence to confirm a bold 2010 claim that some microbes can incorporate the normally toxic element into their cellular machinery.
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Science Past from the issue of February 24, 1962
BOILING REACTOR WILL MAKE SUPERHEATED STEAM — An Argonne National Laboratory experimental reactor achieved criticality for the first time Feb. 9 at the National Reactor Testing Station near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The plant, known as Borax 5, was built at a cost of nearly two million dollars. It will test the feasibility of making superheated […]
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Science Future for February 25, 2012
March 9–18 The British Science Association’s National Science and Engineering Week explores the theme “Our World in Motion” with events across the United Kingdom. See bit.ly/zqeESh March 17–23 Enjoy science demonstrations and hands-on fun for the whole family at the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering. Find the schedule of events at www.sdsciencefestival.com
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SN Online
LIFE Plant species grafted together can swap DNA via energy-catching organelles. See “Plants swap chloroplasts via grafts.” HUMANS Social networks can spread users’ emotions. Learn more in “Catching a mood on Facebook.” ATOM & COSMOS A solar flare set off auroras around the Arctic Circle. See “Solar storm.” BODY & BRAIN Protein-based disease agents can […]
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New England Wild Flower Society’s Flora Novae Angliae: A Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Higher Vascular Plants of New England by Arthur Haines
The New England Wild Flower Society provides a comprehensive guide to the identification of the region’s native plants. Yale Univ., 2011, 973 p., $85
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Reactions: The Private Life of Atoms by Peter Atkins
An overview of college-level chemistry simplifies matters by imagining chemical reactions from the point of view of atoms. Oxford Univ., 2011, 200 p., $24.95
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The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday
The physicist’s classic lecture is reprinted with an introduction by Faraday expert Frank James as a 150th anniversary edition. Oxford Univ., 2011, 192 p., $24.95
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Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking by Simon Quellen Field
This clear primer to the chemistry of cooking goes well beyond the basics to teach cooks how to improve their results scientifically. Chicago Review Press, 2012, 238 p., $16.95
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Consciousness Emerges
Somewhere along a tangled path, sights, sounds and insights pop into awareness.
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Lessons from the Torpid
Hibernators have some helpful tips for keeping humans healthy
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Letters
Connecting the lincs As a physician, I was absolutely astounded reading “Missing lincs” (SN: 12/17/11, p. 22) and still am. We have been waiting since DNA was discovered to find this ‘what makes us human’ aspect of our biochemistry. Even in the infancy of this research, we are discovering the chemical reasons for a type […]
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Soaring pterosaur
With a mechanical brain, a pterosaur replica soars.
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Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times by Marc J. Kuchner
In tough economic times, this guide helps scientists communicate their research more effectively to land grants, projects or jobs. Island Press, 2011, 240 p., $19.95
