More Stories from the June 4, 2005 issue
- Planetary Science
Craft show
The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently imaged Mars Odyssey and Mars Express, marking the first time that a spacecraft orbiting a planet other than Earth has captured images of other craft circling the same planet.
- Plants
Built-in bird perch spreads the pollen
Tests confirm the idea that a plant benefits from growing a bird perch to let pollinators get the best angle for reaching the flowers.
- Health & Medicine
Inflammation inhibitor may limit heart attacks
A new drug suppresses an inflammation-causing protein that has been linked to heart attacks.
- Anthropology
Carnivore conflicts gnaw at Neandertals
Discoveries in a French cave indicate that by about 41,000 years ago, Neandertals and hyenas competed for prey and for access to protected sites where they could safely consume their food.
- Planetary Science
Mars Polar Lander: Lost but now found?
A reanalysis of an image taken 5 years ago suggests that planetary scientists have found the remains of the Mars Polar Lander, which vanished minutes before it was supposed to touch down on the Red Planet.
- Chemistry
Chemical analysis deciphers biblical palette
The first characterization of the paints used to decorate the margins of Gutenberg Bibles could help guide preservation and future restoration efforts.
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Menstrual cycle changes the brain
Hormonal fluctuations over the course of a woman's menstrual cycle change the abundance of a type of receptor on nerve cells, which can change the cells' behavior.
- Earth
Gender Measure: Pollutant appears to alter boys’ genitals
Infant boys who were exposed in the womb to modest concentrations of certain common plasticizers and solvents developed genital changes.
- Animals
Anemone Wars: Clone armies deploy scouts, attack tidally
The first description of clashing armies of sea anemones has revealed unsuspected military tactics.
- Planetary Science
High Anxiety: Sudden solar flare highlights space risks
Measurements of energetic particles from an unusually strong solar flare that pummeled Earth early this year suggest that astronauts traveling or working in space might sometimes need to reach shelter within minutes of a warning.
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Investing on a Whiff: Chemical spray shows power as trust booster
Individuals who smell a brain hormone known as oxytocin become unusually trusting of others in financial transactions.
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Decoding Garlic’s Pizzazz: Extract stimulates taste, temperature receptors
Raw garlic's characteristic spiciness stems from its capacity to open channels on nerve cells that react both to tastes and noxious temperatures.
- Tech
Smart Trap: Nanosensor tracks major brain chemical
The study of neurological diseases and brain functions could get a lot more precise with the invention of an optical sensor that can closely monitor a key chemical in the brain.
- Health & Medicine
Vaccine Gains: Shot protects seniors from shingles flare-ups
An experimental vaccine prevents half of all cases of shingles, a painful skin disease that typically afflicts the elderly.
- Ecosystems
Empty Nets
New research has begun challenging long-held assumptions about the consequences for fish stocks of harvesting the biggest fish first.
- Tech
Morphing Memory
A promising memory technology for future portable gadgets exploits the same atom-shuffling materials that have already led to rewritable CDs and DVDs.
- Humans
Letters from the June 4, 2005, issue of Science News
Stem winder “Full Stem Ahead” (SN: 4/2/05, p. 218) showed several reasons why stem cell research is a good thing: Stem cells from embryos might cure cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and many other diseases. But the article should have included the fact that stem cells may help with transplanting organs. Stem cells may […]
