More Stories from the June 2, 2012 issue
- Earth
Stop-and-go plate tectonics
Early on, ancient crustal plates may have dived deep into the Earth, time and again, giving a halting start to the planetary remodeling process.
- Health & Medicine
Neighborhood linked to obesity
Children living in areas that lack walking-distance parks and supermarkets are more prone to put on weight, new studies find.
- Earth
Arctic sea emits methane
Source of climate-warming gas remains uncertain, but might be microbes.
- Life
Bacteria, insects join forces against pesticide
Microbes in gut, rather than genetic changes, allow insects to develop chemical resistance.
- Life
Albatross forage with fractal-like flight
New data offer support for a modified mathematical pattern in birds’ hunting behavior.
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Brain not required for antidepressant to act
In brewer’s yeast, the drug sertraline distorts membranes and triggers a self-cannibalizing process.
- Life
Larvae sustain comb jelly population
Species thrives in Baltic Sea despite never reaching adulthood.
- Space
Earth took a multibillion-year beating
Asteroids pummeled the planet for billions of years as the Late Heavy Bombardment tapered off, new estimates suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Snakes swirl in blink (and jump) of an eye
The Rotating Snakes optical illusion is preceded by blinking and tiny ocular movements, a new study shows.
- Health & Medicine
Test drug eases behavioral symptoms seen in autism
In mouse experiments, the compound curbs repetitive behaviors and improves sociability.
- Life
Bony bacteria
A newly described species of blue-green algae builds hard structures inside its cells.
- Earth
Oceans’ salinity changed over last half-century
Warmer atmosphere may be to blame for changes in the water cycle.
- Life
Shot may top acupuncture for pain relief
Carefully placed enzyme injection has a long-lasting effect in mice.
- Life
Tree cricket song has note of variability
Wings’ length, individual segments allow species to produce mating calls in range of frequencies.
- Health & Medicine
Weight loss reduces cancer risk factor
Indicators of inflammation drop with diet and weight loss.
- Astronomy
A star is torn
A black hole’s stellar feast is witnessed by telescopes on Earth and in orbit.
- Health & Medicine
Protein tweak may trigger Alzheimer’s
An unusual version of the disease-linked amyloid-beta molecule sows destruction in mouse brains.
- Earth
Study keeps pace with Greenland glaciers
Herky-jerky motion of the island’s ice suggests that melting ice is unlikely to contribute to dramatic sea level rise this century, but the news isn’t all good.
- Earth
Big Antarctic ice sheet appears doomed
Warming climate is expected to trigger the sudden retreat of a partially floating glacier on the continent’s western side by 2100.
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Science Past from the issue of June 2, 1962
SECOND U.S. ASTRONAUT — Lt. Comdr. M. Scott Carpenter was rocketed into space at 8:45 a.m., EST, on May 24 to become the second U. S. astronaut.… As one of his experiments, Astronaut Carpenter released a small, 30-inch balloon…. The idea of the experiment was to determine whether a man undergoing the rigors of weightlessness […]
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SN Online
HUMANS Learn what confidence means for group decision-making strategies in “Two heads sometimes better than one.” S. Osaki/Phys. Rev. Lett. 2012 MATTER & ENERGY A structural change in spider silk (below) makes it strong enough to string a violin. Read “Scientist fiddles with spider silk.” BODY & BRAIN A physician describes controversial anatomical evidence for […]
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The neutrino messengers
In 1844 Samuel Morse sent a telegram from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore using pulses of electrons to encode “What hath God wrought.” Now that message has gotten a reply, courtesy of physicist Kevin McFarland and a team of his colleagues. Kevin McFarland, a physicist who sent a message using neutrinos, left his mark on the […]
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A World of Insects by Ring T. Cardé and Vincent H. Resh, eds.
Two entomologists present insect essays that explore everything from insect sex to crime scene investigation. Harvard Univ., 2012, 404 p., $19.95
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EarthFlight: Breathtaking Photographs from a Bird’s-Eye View of the World by John Downer
30Cameras carried by hand, by gliders and by the creatures themselves give readers a literal bird’s-eye view of the world. Firefly Books, 2012, 240 p., $49.95
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In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World by Ian Stewart
The author tells the stories of 17 equations, from Maxwell’s equations that led to modern TV and radio to algorithms that rattled the stock market. Basic Books, 2012, 342 p., $26.99
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Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King by Joyce Tyldesley
An archaeologist explores myths surrounding the boy king and updates Tut fans on what experts have learned about his life and times. Basic Books, 2012, 316 p., $29.99
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BOOK REVIEW: Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf
Review by Alexandra Witze.
- Ecosystems
Darwin’s Devices
What Evolving Robots Can Teach Us About the History of Life and the Future of Technology, by John Long.
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Designer Flu
How scientists made a killer virus airborne — and who should know.
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Storm Front
Hurricane experts push to improve intensity forecasts.
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Letters
Information as substrate In a recent article (“Enriched with information,” SN: 3/10/12, p. 22), you point out that some researchers consider consciousness to be a form of information. In another (“Bits of reality,” SN: 4/7/12, p. 26), you mention that increasing numbers of physicists are coming to regard information as the basic “stuff” from which […]
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Science Future for June 2, 2012
June 9 Researchers hold car washes and bake sales nationwide to raise money and bring attention to budget cuts for planetary science programs. Find out more at bit.ly/SFcarwash June 26 Learn about the science of local food at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City. A panel discusses whether eating locally is […]
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The Practical Einstein: Experiments, Patents, Inventions by József Illy
Einstein’s papers reveal a down-to-earth side. Learn about his inventions and ideas, including waterproof breathable clothes and an explanation for rivers’ meanderings. Johns Hopkins Univ., 2012, 202 p., $60
