More Stories from the November 5, 2005 issue
- Physics
A matter of gravity
Gravity Probe B has finished its test of general relativity but results of the study won't be known for another year.
- Anthropology
Chimps indifferent to others’ welfare
New laboratory experiments suggest that chimpanzees, unlike people, don't care about the welfare of unrelated members of their social groups.
- Health & Medicine
Breath test could detect bad microbe
Using machines that identify component parts of gases, scientists can now detect markers of a dangerous fungal infection in the lungs of people just by analyzing their breath.
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Dopamine gene ups schizophrenia risk
A long-term study of children with a rare chromosome deletion indicates that those who have a single copy of a gene that promotes a dopamine overload in the brain have an above-average risk of developing schizophrenia later in life.
- Planetary Science
New Partners: Hubble finds more moons around Pluto
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have spied two tiny moons orbiting Pluto, giving this planet a total of three satellites.
- Health & Medicine
More Than an Annoyance: Breathlessness could be sign of bigger problems
People who have dyspnea, the sensation of being frequently out of breath, may have an increased risk of dying from heart problems.
- Physics
Light Pedaling: Photonic brakes are vital for circuits
A novel silicon microchip device slows and varies light-pulse speeds—a function considered critical for the development of photonic circuits based on light instead of electrons.
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Bad Readout from DNA: Genes that act on brain may promote dyslexia
Studies conducted in the United States, Germany, and England indicate that two genes, both located on chromosome 6 and involved in orchestrating neural migration in developing brains, contribute to the severe learning disorder known as dyslexia.
- Animals
Beyond Falsetto: Do mice sing at ultrasonic frequencies?
Male mice may serenade prospective mates at pitches about two octaves higher than the shrillest sounds audible to the human ear. With Audio.
- Materials Science
Up to Snuff: Nanotube network fights flames
Researchers have found that infusing plastics with a network of carbon nanotubes reduces their flammability.
- Earth
Volcanic Suppression: Major eruptions can reduce sea level
Although scientists have known for years that major volcanic eruptions can temporarily cool Earth's climate, a team now suggests that such outbursts can temporarily cause sea level to drop for a while as well.
- Math
Pushing the Limit
Scientists are moving closer to constructing superefficient, noisefree data-transmission codes.
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Questions on the Couch
A new policy statement on evidence-based practice from the American Psychological Association illustrates the intense struggle among researchers and clinicians over how best to study the effectiveness of psychotherapy in its many forms.
- Humans
Letters from the November 5, 2005, issue of Science News
Wind or fury? (“The Wind and the Fury” (SN: 9/17/05, p. 184) states, “In 2004, Florida suffered its worst hurricane season in 118 years, with nine hurricanes, five of which were classified as major.” While it’s true that 9 of the 15 named tropical or subtropical storms that formed in the North Atlantic basin last […]
