More Stories from the January 20, 2001 issue
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Protein May Tie Obesity to Diabetes
A newly discovered protein secreted by fat cells could be the link between obesity and type II diabetes.
- Math
Scheduled random walks skirt collisions
Researchers in theoretical computer science have made progress in settling the question of whether a clairvoyant scheduler can regulate the timing of moves by random walkers on a grid to keep them from ever colliding.
- Tech
Technique puts more data into airwaves
A new approach that exploits the orientations of the electric and magnetic fields in radio waves may increase data flows to and from cell phones and other wireless devices by up to a factor of six.
- Anthropology
Human ancestors had taste for termites
Incisions on ancient bone implements found in South Africa indicate that human ancestors gathered termites, a protein-rich food source, more than 1 million years ago.
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First gene-altered primate beats the odds
Oregon researchers have slipped a jellyfish gene into a rhesus monkey to create the first genetically modified primate.
- Astronomy
Peering at black holes: An eventful look
Two new studies provide supporting evidence for event horizons, the one-way membranes that surround black holes.
- Tech
Simple system may curb auto emissions
Researchers have developed a four-component system that acts like an on-vehicle oil refinery and may help significantly reduce the hydrocarbon emissions from internal combustion engines.
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Diesel gases masculinize fetal rodents
In rats, exposure to diesel exhaust perturbs pregnant moms’ sex-hormone production and makes her pups more masculine in certain ways.
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When diabetics dismiss their treatment
Diabetics who retreat from close relationships in favor of self-reliance may have particular difficulty adhering to diabetes treatments if their physician communicates poorly with them.
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Brain takes emotional sides for sexes
Men's and women's brains may adopt different approaches to fostering memories of emotional experiences.
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Warblers make species in a ring
Genetic and song analyses of the greenish warblers in forests around the Tibetan Plateau suggest the birds represent a long-sought evolutionary quirk called a ring species.
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Flood’s rising? Quick, start peeing!
Malaysian ants that nest in giant bamboo fight floods by sipping from water rising inside and then dashing outdoors to pee.
- Health & Medicine
Raloxifene doesn’t hike breast density
Estrogen-replacement therapy that includes estrogen increases breast-tissue density among postmenopausal women, but the estrogen-replacement drug raloxifene doesn’t.
- Health & Medicine
Dietary stress may compromise bones
Internal conflict about what and how much to eat not only induces production of a stress hormone but also may eventually weaken bones.
- Physics
Magnetic Whispers
Promising new ways to magnetically probe tissues and substances are emerging now that a small research group has proved their once-ridiculed claim of a flaw in the 50-year-old theory behind magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and similar analytic techniques.
- Earth
Pinning Down the Sun-Climate Connection
Many scientists propose that changes in the sun's magnetic field and radiation output during its 11-year sunspot cycle also affect the atmosphere, changing Earth's climate by steering weather systems and influencing the amount of cloud cover.
