More Stories from the January 27, 2007 issue
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Trichomoniasis-causing organism is sequenced
Scientists have taken a first read of the genetic sequence of the organism responsible for a sexually transmitted infection called trichomoniasis.
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Aging vets take stress disorder to heart
Veterans grappling for decades with post-traumatic stress disorder have a greater risk of developing and dying from heart disease than do their peers who don't suffer from the stress ailment.
- Earth
Heating releases cookware chemicals
Nonstick coatings on fry pans and microwave-popcorn bags can, when heated, release traces of potentially toxic perfluorinated chemicals.
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- Physics
Solving a 400-year-old supernova riddle
Astronomers have determined that Kepler's supernova, the last stellar explosion witnessed in our galaxy, belongs to the class known as type 1a.
- Astronomy
Astronomers discover smallest galaxy ever
Astronomers have found the smallest galaxy yet recorded, about one-sixteenth the diameter of the Milky Way.
- Planetary Science
Stellar death may spawn solar system
Material shed by a dying star might give birth to planets.
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Addiction Subtraction: Brain damage curbs cigarette urge
Scientists have identified an area of the brain where damage seems to quickly halt a person's desire to smoke.
- Tech
Making a 3-D Microscope: Technique brings entire sample into focus
A new imaging technique creates microscopic three-dimensional views of tissues within a patient's body and can update those images several times a second.
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Mind over Muscle: Placebo boosts health benefits of exercise
The physical rewards of exercise derive not just from muscular exertion but also from a person's mind-set about exercise.
- Health & Medicine
Salve for the Lungs: Aspirin might prevent asthma
Regular use of aspirin may prevent healthy adults from developing asthma.
- Astronomy
Magnificent McNaught
Flaunting a majestic tail over southern skies, Comet McNaught became in mid-January the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
- Paleontology
Ancient Glider: Dinosaur took to the air in biplane style
About 125 million years before the Wright Brothers took to the air with their biplane, a 1-meter-long dinosaur may have been swooping from tree to tree using the same arrangement of wings.
- Health & Medicine
Good Poison? Carbon monoxide may stifle multiple sclerosis
A study in mice suggests that small amounts of carbon monoxide might alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
- Plants
Secret Agent: Hidden helper lets fungus save plants from heat
A fungus that supposedly lets plants live in overheated soil turns out to work only if it's infected with a certain virus.
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Perchance to Hibernate
As scientists work to unravel the secrets of mammalian hibernation, they're eyeing medical applications that could aid wounded soldiers, stroke victims, and transplant recipients, among others.
- Earth
Aquatic Non-Scents
Many common pollutants appear to be jeopardizing the survival of fish and other aquatic species by blunting their sense of smell.
- Humans
Letters from the January 27, 2007, issue of Science News
Circumcision circumspection Concerning “More Evidence of Protection: Circumcision reduces STD risk in men” (SN: 11/18/06, p. 325), I have yet to read a single study regarding the alleged benefits of circumcision that acknowledges that the foreskin is erogenous tissue. Removal of erogenous tissue from a female would be considered barbaric, even if it did offer […]
