More Stories from the November 11, 2000 issue
- Archaeology
Massive Fishery Resurfaces in Amazon
Native groups in an Amazonian region of Bolivia built a large-scale fishery and other earthworks at least 300 years ago, before the Spanish conquest.
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Psst. This fly’s ears can rival a cat’s
The unusual eardrums of a tiny parasitic fly turn out to rival cats', owls', and people's abilities to pinpoint the origin of a sound.
- Health & Medicine
Lithium increases gray matter in the brain
Used for decades to treat manic depression, lithium may stimulate the production of new brain cells, thus raising hope that it can treat strokes, Alzheimer's disease, and other conditions that kill brain cells.
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Lamprey cyborg sees the light and responds
Researchers have paired the brain of a sea lamprey with a small robot that can detect and move around in response to light.
- Humans
Science gets a start on the space station
Although the space station's main laboratories have yet to be launched, scientists are already using nooks and crannies in the existing structure to conduct experiments in biotechnology and physics.
- Health & Medicine
Malaria vaccine waylays parasite in liver
A new malaria vaccine tested in chimpanzees spurs an immune response against the parasite as it passes through the liver, halting it in most cases before it can get into the bloodstream and cause symptoms of the disease.
- Health & Medicine
New test may spot colon cancer early
An experimental test for colon cancer may detect the disease at a treatable stage more accurately than current, noninvasive screening techniques.
- Health & Medicine
Vitamin E targets dangerous inflammation
Megadoses of vitamin E may reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes and other conditions that produce chronic, low-grade inflammation.
- Chemistry
Detailed yellow-bud research blossoms
In identifying the chemical responsible for the color of many yellow flowers, scientists have moved one step closer to engineering sunny-colored designer buds.
- Tech
Pores of glass skin shrink from light
Ultraviolet light can fine-tune the properties of intricately structured, porous films of glass that, among other uses, may make possible the long-sought direct extraction of oxygen and nitrogen gases from air.
- Tech
Pile-o’-polymers breaks up on command
Stacks of polymers designed to break apart in acid solution or at a certain voltage may prove useful for releasing drugs, pesticides, or other compounds where and when needed.
- Health & Medicine
Colonoscopy screening would avert cancer
Increased use of colonoscopy could significantly reduce the number of colon cancer deaths and wouldn't cost much more overall than other tests.
- Health & Medicine
Mutation linked to sinus infections
People who have frequent sinus infections are more likely on average to carry one copy of the same genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis, even though they don't have that disease.
- Paleontology
Did ancient wildfire end in barbecue?
Small pieces of large bones and petrified wood that show distinct signs of being burned may be evidence of a 74-million-year-old wildfire in central Wyoming.
- Paleontology
The last ice age wasn’t totally icy
Radiocarbon dating of fossils taken from caves on islands along Alaska's southeastern coast suggest that at least a portion of the area remained ice-free during the last ice age.
- Paleontology
Allosaurus as a Jurassic headbanger
The skull of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus fragilis can resist levels of stress much higher than those expected from chewing, which may provide insight into the animal's method of attacking its prey.
- Paleontology
Calling all orthodontists. . .
Researchers have unearthed fossils of a theropod dinosaur whose front teeth grew almost directly forward, which sets it apart from all other related species.
- Computing
Calculating Swarms
Ant teamwork suggests models for computing faster and organizing better.
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Do Antibodies Pack a Deadly Punch?
These immune molecules may directly kill, not just tag, microbes.
