More Stories from the June 5, 2010 issue
- Health & Medicine
Epigenetic changes show up in people with PTSD
Study finds alterations in genes tied to immune system and brain development, but whether they cause the disorder remains unclear.
- Life
Undereducated immune cells get aggressive with HIV
Scientists discover a mechanism that makes some people resistant to infection with the AIDS virus.
- Life
Neandertal genome yields evidence of interbreeding with humans
After years of looking, geneticists are shocked to find that 1 percent to 4 percent of DNA in people from Europe and Asia is inherited from Neandertals.
- Health & Medicine
Genetic switch makes old mice forgetful
Reversing a chemical change restored the animals’ memory-making ability.
- Astronomy
Fast-moving star is a really big loser
The cosmic bullies that sent 30 Doradus 016 reeling must be even bigger, possibly upping the theoretical maximum heft of today’s stars.
- Earth
Gravity lows mark burial sites of ancient tectonic plates
Dips in Earth's gravitational field are tied to 'slab graveyards'
- Psychology
Bereaved relatives helped by chance to view body after sudden loss
Grieving people rarely regret having seen a dead loved one, even in cases of violent death, a British study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Sickle-cell anemia tied to cognitive impairment
Patients with the hereditary condition score worse on standardized tests than people without it.
- Chemistry
Another plastics ingredient raises safety concerns
Bisphenol A’s ‘twin’ may be more potent at perturbing estrogen signals.
- Life
All present-day life arose from a single ancestor
A major tenet of evolutionary theory — that all life stems from a common source — passes a statistical test.
- Life
Eureka, brain makes real mental leaps
Studies of rats reveal neuron activity changes en masse during aha moments.
- Humans
Grown men swap bodies with virtual girl
People who undergo virtual-reality perspective shifts feel like they’ve switched bodies with a virtual character.
- Earth
Earliest birds didn’t make a flap
The feathers of Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis probably were not strong enough to support sustained flight.
- Animals
Fight or flee, it’s in the pee
Researchers get a better understanding of how mice smell a rat, or a cat, and maybe even a snake.
- Planetary Science
Martian moon probably pretty porous
Phobos may be a mass of rocky rubble, not a captured asteroid.
- Science & Society
Students win big at Intel ISEF 2010
Global high school science competition concludes with top prizes going to projects on cancer-fighting quantum dots, quantum computer algorithms and computer programming.
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Science Future for June 5, 2010
June 11 – 14 American Society of Mammalogists meets in Laramie, Wyo. See www.uwyo.edu/asm2010 July 17 San Francisco’s Exploratorium museum launches a series of podcasts on the science of creativity. See www.exploratorium.edu/webcasts/index.php July 17 – 21 The American Society for Virology hosts its annual conference in Bozeman, Mont. Get agenda at www.asv.org
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The Babylonian Theorem: The Mathematical Journey to Pythagoras and Euclid by Peter S. Rudman
Ancient Babylonians and Egyptians paved the way for Greek mathematicians, a physicist contends. THE BABYLONIAN THEOREM: THE MATHEMATICAL JOURNEY TO PYTHAGORAS AND EUCLID BY PETER S. RUDMAN Prometheus Books, 2010, 248 p., $26.
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Manhattan Project to the Santa Fe Institute: The Memoirs of George A. Cowan by George A. Cowan
A chemist reflects on his career in nuclear physics and events in 20th century science. MANHATTAN PROJECT TO THE SANTA FE INSTITUTE: THE MEMOIRS OF GEORGE A. COWAN BY GEORGE A. COWAN Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2010, 175 p., $27.95.
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Butterflies and Moths: Portraits from the Tropical Forests of Costa Rica by J.C. Miller, D.H. Janzen and W. Hallwachs
Full-page photos and text unveil Costa Rican Lepidoptera. BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS: PORTRAITS FROM THE TROPICAL FORESTS OF COSTA RICA BY J.C. MILLER, D.H. JANZEN AND W. HALLWACHS Belknap Press/Harvard Univ. Press, 2010, 256 p., $24.95.
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In Praise of Science: Curiosity, Understanding, and Progress by Sander Bais
Science and reasoning have unique roles in society, a physicist argues. IN PRAISE OF SCIENCE: CURIOSITY, UNDERSTANDING, AND PROGRESS BY SANDER BAIS MIT Press, 2010, 192 p., $24.95.
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Book Reviews: Geoengineering
Reviews by Alexandra Witze.
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Book Review: The Science of Doctor Who by Paul Parsons
Review by Erika Engelhaupt.
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Meet the Howlers by April Pulley Sayre
Facts about howler monkeys complement the playful poem in this tale of rain forest life. (Ages 4 – 7) MEET THE HOWLERS BY APRIL PULLEY SAYRE Charlesbridge, 2010, 32 p., $16.95.
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Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age by Cheryl Bardoe
Photos and accounts of real-life research bring extinct mammals to life in this book, published to coincide with a current exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum. (Ages 9 – 12 MAMMOTHS AND MASTODONS: TITANS OF THE ICE AGE BY CHERYL BARDOE Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2010, 48 p., $18.95.
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Pythagoras and the Ratios: A Math Adventure by Julie Ellis
A boy’s quest to tune a pan flute and a lyre illustrates some of the many uses of mathematical ratios. (Ages 9 – 12) PYTHAGORAS AND THE RATIOS: A MATH ADVENTURE BY JULIE ELLIS Charlesbridge, 2010, 32 p., $16.95.
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Magic Up Your Sleeve: Amazing Illusions, Tricks, and Science Facts You’ll Never Believe by Helaine Becker
Optical illusions and magic tricks reveal basic science principles. (Ages 8 – 12) MAGIC UP YOUR SLEEVE: AMAZING ILLUSIONS, TRICKS, AND SCIENCE FACTS YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE BY HELAINE BECKER Owlkids Books, 2010, 64 p., $10.95.
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Not Your Typical Book About the Environment by Elin Kelsey
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/189734984X?ie=UTF8&tag=sciencenews06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=189734984XExplanations of ecology and sustainability present kids with a hopeful view of solving environmental problems. (Ages 9 – 12) NOT YOUR TYPICAL BOOK ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT BY ELIN KELSEY Owlkids Books, 2010, 64 p., $10.95.
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Looking Closely Around the Pond by Frank Serafini
Young readers can guess what will be revealed in close-up photos of pond life, then learn about the plants and animals shown. (Ages 4 – 7) LOOKING CLOSELY AROUND THE POND BY FRANK SERAFINI Kids Can Press, 2010, 40 p., $16.95.
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Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be by Daniel Loxton
An in-depth guide to life’s history gives clear answers to kids’ questions about evolution. (Ages 8 – 13) EVOLUTION: HOW WE AND ALL LIVING THINGS CAME TO BE BY DANIEL LOXTON Kids Can Press, 2010, 56 p., $18.95.
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Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide by Steve Rich
Teachers looking for ways to get kids excited about science can find detailed hands-on lesson plans for life, earth and environmental sciences. (Ages 3 – 8) OUTDOOR SCIENCE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE BY STEVE RICH NSTA Press, 2010, 140 p., $24.95.
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The Circulatory Story by Mary K. Corcoran
Humor pulses through this detailed exploration of how blood moves through the body. (Ages 9 – 12) THE CIRCULATORY STORY BY MARY K. CORCORAN Charlesbridge, 2010, 41 p., $17.95.
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Obama adviser weighs ‘the rightful place of science’
Obama adviser weighs ‘the rightful place of science’ by Eric S. Lander ERIC S. LANDER “Science drives the innovation that provides productivity and growth for the future economy, and it also adds to our quality of life in many ways.” Len Rubenstein In an address to scientists attending the 2010 meeting of the American Association […]
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Engineering a cooler Earth
Researchers brainstorm radical ways to counter climate change.
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A pregnant question
How antidepressants may subtly alter a growing baby’s brain.
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Elemental escape
Making superheavies may reveal island of stability.
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Letters
ET, stay home Your excellent editorial in the April 24 issue of Science News (“An intelligent ET would probably just stay home”) explained the most obvious reasons for the unlikelihood of an extraterrestrial message, let alone visitors. Additional obstacles worth mention are 1) the gigantic retro-rockets, parachutes and heat shields required for braking a super-speeding […]
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Science Past from the issue of June 4, 1960
SOLVING OF SUN’S RIDDLES — Future space probes may skim as “close” as two million miles from the sun’s visible surface, a report to the National Academy of Sciences suggests. Before this can be done, however, greatly improved materials must be developed since temperatures at that distance would be about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly the […]
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Guidebook for the Scientific Traveler: Visiting Physics and Chemistry Sites Across America by Duane S. Nickell
From Maine to Oregon, the country offers sightseeing for science enthusiasts. GUIDEBOOK FOR THE SCIENTIFIC TRAVELER: VISITING PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY SITES ACROSS AMERICA BY DUANE S. NICKELL Rutgers Univ. Press, 2010, 258 p., $19.95.
