More Stories from the May 20, 2006 issue
- Humans
Report knocks NASA funding
A new National Academy of Sciences study joins the chorus of critics that claim NASA is overextended, sacrificing basic- science research in order to finish building the International Space Station and fund President Bush's plan to return astronauts to the moon.
- Agriculture
Biotech cotton: Less spray but same yield
The way farmers grow transgenic cotton in Arizona lets them skip some of their regular spraying but end up with the same yield as traditional farmers, as well as the same impact on ants and beetles.
- Health & Medicine
Nabbed: Culprit of grapefruit juice–drug interaction
Researchers have pinned down the class of natural compounds in grapefruit juice that's responsible for its unwanted chemical interaction with many drugs.
- Humans
Roads pose growing danger in poor countries
Although roads are getting safer in many developed countries, traffic accidents are a rising and underestimated killer worldwide.
- Tech
Rounding out an insect-eye view
A new humanmade version of an insect's compound eye could perform like the real thing.
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Cancer gene is also important for growth
A certain tumor-suppressing gene appears to also control development in immature animals.
- Earth
Three Gorges Dam is affecting ocean life
Oceanographic surveys suggest that China's Three Gorges Dam is already influencing biological productivity in the East China Sea, even though the structure is still under construction.
- Paleontology
Remains may be an evolutionary relic
Fossils recently found in southwestern China may be of a lineage that originated long before the Cambrian explosion of biodiversity, when most major groups of animals first appeared in the fossil record.
- Health & Medicine
Bug Zapper: Novel drug kills resistant bacteria
A newly recognized compound can wipe out some of the most troublesome antibiotic-resistant bacteria, lab tests show.
- Astronomy
Safe from a Heavenly Doom: Gamma-ray bursts not a threat to Earth
Gamma-ray bursts are likely to occur in the Milky Way.
- Materials Science
Feeling cagey
Researchers have discovered that gold can take the shape of nanoscale, hollow cages.
- Anthropology
Hybrid-Driven Evolution: Genomes show complexity of human-chimp split
A controversial new genetic comparison suggests that human and chimpanzee ancestors interbred for several million years before evolving into reproductively separate species no more than 6.3 million years ago.
- Animals
Jay Watch: Birds get sneakier when spies lurk
A scrub jay storing food takes note of any other jay that watches it and later defends the hoard accordingly.
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Eye for Growth: New protein prompts optic nerve regrowth
A protein recently isolated from white blood cells could offer a new way to repair nerve cells damaged by injury or disease.
- Humans
Indy’s Best: Young scientists cross the finish line
High school students from 47 countries gathered in Indianapolis last week to compete for scholarships and other prizes in the 2006 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
- Health & Medicine
Now Hear This
Genetics research, work with stem cells, and studies of the inner ear's delicate architecture suggest that it might be possible to restore cells pivotal to hearing.
- Tech
Illuminating Changes
Indoor lighting is undergoing a dramatic metamorphosis toward energy-conserving systems that rely on solid-state technologies.
- Humans
Letters from the May 20, 2006, issue of Science News
Forget dessert In “Got Data? Consuming calcium, dairy doesn’t keep off weight” (SN: 3/11/06, p. 147), you report, “Every 4 years, each volunteer completed a questionnaire about his body weight and dietary habits.” Any dieter knows that it is next to impossible to remember what one has eaten 4 days ago. Any more details on […]
