More Stories from the November 4, 2006 issue
- Physics
First teleportation between light and matter
Physicists have for the first time transmitted quantum states between atoms and light.
- Chemistry
Unnatural success
Chemists report the first synthesis of a promising antibiotic that other researchers recently discovered in nature.
- Planetary Science
Jovian storm grows stormier
Jupiter's Little Red Spot has become as strong as its big brother.
- Astronomy
Galactic spider
A Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a large galaxy in the early universe assembling from the merger of smaller ones.
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Nicotine during rat youth primes brain for harder drugs
The addictive ingredient in those cigarettes in the schoolyard could prep the brain for reliance on illicit drugs.
- Health & Medicine
Pain follows cycle
Estrogen fluctuations during a woman's menstrual cycle may change her perception of pain.
- Health & Medicine
Insulin can protect diabetic brains
Staying on top of diabetes treatments may prevent some of the brain atrophy and cognitive deficits that typically accompany the disease.
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Mom’s caffeine harms pups’ brain cells
Rats born to mothers who drank caffeinated beverages throughout their pregnancies had abnormal brain-cell function.
- Ecosystems
Worthless waters
The biological riches of the oceans will be spent within decades if current trends continue.
- Astronomy
A Swarm of Umbrellas vs. Global Warming: Astronomer thinks small to save Earth
A trillion miniature spacecraft could provide a giant sunshade for Earth, significantly reducing global warming.
- Health & Medicine
Helping Hands: Brief rehab method aids arm activity after stroke
Stroke survivors who have difficulty using an arm or a hand experience lasting mobility gains after completing an unusual 2-week rehabilitation program.
- Materials Science
Dribble Quibble: Experiments find that new basketball gets slick
According to preliminary results from a study at a physics lab, a new basketball for professional players bounces less elastically, veers more when it bounces, and becomes more slippery when damp than does a leather ball.
- Health & Medicine
L’Chaim: Wine compound lengthens mouse lives
A constituent of red wine appears to increase the life spans and boost the well-being of mice that haven't followed the healthiest of lifestyles.
- Earth
Flow West, Young River: Ancient Amazon ran opposite today’s route
The forerunner of the mighty Amazon ran from east to west, a new analysis of rocks laid down by that ancient river suggests.
- Astronomy
Rejuvenating Observatory: Green light given for space telescope repairs
NASA this week gave the go-ahead for a shuttle crew to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope and to install new detectors that would vastly improve its capabilities.
- Health & Medicine
Abated Breath: Serotonin problems may contribute to SIDS
Babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome show abnormalities in the regulation of the chemical serotonin in their brains.
- Health & Medicine
The Cancer of Dorian Gray
By studying mice that have been engineered to carry mutations in certain tumor-suppressing genes, researchers have identified a link between cancer and aging.
- Humans
Ballot Roulette
In the midst of rapid change in voting technology, researchers are finding causes for concern as well as inventing new equipment and schemes to improve the accuracy and integrity of elections.
- Humans
Letters from the November 4, 2006, issue of Science News
Twisted logic? I have a question concerning “The Sun’s Halo in 3-D” (SN: 8/19/06, p. 120). It says, “As the sun rotates, its polar regions make a complete circle in about 34 days, compared with the 25 days required by its equator.” I was wondering how it’s possible to have two points on a rotating […]
