More Stories from the May 24, 2008 issue
- Health & Medicine
New approach might strike at the core of Alzheimer’s disease
By anchoring an enzyme-inhibiting molecule to a cell membrane, researchers have designed a potential skeleton for a new Alzheimer's treatment.
- Psychology
Smarten up
Taxing memory training produces at least short-term increases in a critical type of intelligence.
- Health & Medicine
Let there be light
Researchers report restoring vision to people with a rare, genetic form of blindness. A different technique helped blind mice see again and could bring back some sight in people with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa or other blinding diseases.
- Space
Supermassive black hole says sayonara
Researchers have the first observational hint for the existence of an ejected supermassive black hole, fired by a gravitational rocket from the core of the galaxy in which it formed.
- Humans
Jaw breaker
An ancient human relative that lived more than 1 million years ago possessed huge jaws and teeth suited to eating hard foods but actually preferred fruits and other soft items, a new study finds.
- Life
Bat that roared
Although the human ear can't detect it, bats make astonishingly loud noises while hunting.
- Tech
Down with the transistor
A new type of electronic component could shrink computer chips and make them more powerful.
- Health & Medicine
Treat ’em
High blood pressure often goes untreated in people 80 and over, but a new study suggests that treatment extends survival.
- Earth
It’s the meat not the miles
Eating less red meat and dairy may do more to reduce food-associated greenhouse gas emissions than shopping locally.
- Astronomy
A Phoenix on Mars
A new robotic lander will search the north polar region of Mars for habitability.
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A moment on the lips …
Adults may be stuck with the fat they have. A study suggests the number of fat cells doesn't change with weight gain or loss.
- Life
DNA tweak no good for diabetics
A genetic variation that increases levels of a blood-building protein also ups the risk of developing complications from diabetes.
- Life
The Arctic isn’t alone
Insects and other animals that regulate their body temperature externally may be especially vulnerable as the world warms.
- Physics
Gödel, Escher, Chopin
Musical theorists see inuitive links between musical chords and geometries.
- Ecosystems
Bring in the replacements
Missing links in ecosystems disrupted by extinctions could be restored by introducing species that perform the same function, new field experiments suggest.
- Space
Flooring the cosmic accelerator
If cosmologist Will Percival of the University of Portsmouth in England is right, the universe will end about 60 billion years from now, when every molecule and atom will be torn asunder by a mysterious entity that opposes gravity’s pull and turns it into a cosmic push.
- Humans
Science in the City
The inaugural World Science Festival kicks off in New York May 28 and features a variety of events celebrating the role of science in all aspects of modern life, culture and the arts.
- Life
Epic Genetics
The way genes are packaged by "epigenetic" changes may play a major role in the risk of addiction, depression and other mental disorders.
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- Computing
Scientists Get a 2nd Life
The virtual world of Second Life offers new ways to do and learn about real science.
