More Stories from the October 22, 2011 issue
- Chemistry
If that’s a TV, this must be the den
In some situations, the brain identifies a location based on a checklist of objects.
- Chemistry
Explosive goes boom, but not too soon
Leavening a volatile new material with good old TNT yields a substance that’s safer to handle and easily reverted into a highly potent form.
- Life
In the dark, cave fish follows its own rhythm
Scientists unwind an odd biological clock to better understand how organisms set daily cycles.
- Humans
Fossil finds offer close look at a contested ancestor
Nearly 2 million-year-old fossils offer glimpses of a species that may, or may not, have been crucial for human evolution.
- Life
Thirsty frogs make do with dew
An Australian species exploits condensation to get a drink by chilling down outside and then hopping into its warm, humid lair.
- Life
Cats engineered for disease resistance
Genetically modified felines created in an effort to fight feline immunodeficiency virus.
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- Space
Planet search finds lots of little guys
The latest collection of extrasolar bodies to be revealed is rich in worlds not much bigger than Earth.
- Psychology
Same face, different person
Photos of a stranger’s mug can look like many unfamiliar people to an observer, complicating facial recognition research.
- Earth
Pacific volcanoes share split personality
The dual chemistry of island chains reflects variations in the distribution of ancient material bubbling up from deep within the Earth.
- Health & Medicine
Brain may sabotage efforts to lose weight
The brains of obese people act hungry whether their bodies are or not.
- Chemistry
Science gets the deets on DEET
New research demonstrates how insect repellent may mix up mosquitoes’ smelling machinery.
- Life
Genes & Cells
How nanotubes trigger a cell’s gag reflex, the skulking 1918 flu and more in this week’s news.
- Life
XMRV tie to chronic fatigue debunked
A virus that was tied to the mysterious syndrome by 2009 research appears to have been a laboratory contaminant.
- Physics
Neutrinos seen to fly faster than light
Though few physicists expect it to withstand scrutiny, confirmation of the observation would shake physics to its core.
- Life
2011 medicine Nobel goes to immunology researchers
The prize in physiology or medicine recognizes scientists for their work on the body's innate and adaptive defenses against invading pathogens.
- Space
Cosmic acceleration discovery wins physics Nobel
Three astrophysicists are honored for revealing the universe's accelerating expansion.
- Humans
Surf zone study earns young scientist first place
Top winners selected from 30 finalists who traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete in the inaugural Broadcom MASTERS program for middle school students.
- Chemistry
Unusual crystal patterns win chemistry Nobel
First rejected as impossible, the discovery that atoms can pack in subtly varied patterns forced revisions of fundamental concepts.
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SN Online
BODY & BRAIN ‘Normal’ B12 levels may not be enough for the brain. Read “B12 shortage linked to cognitive problems.” LIFE A penguin can find its kin even in a sea of black and white. See “Penguins may sniff out relatives.” ATOM & COSMOS A NASA probe has found bizarre landforms on the planet nearest […]
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Science Future for October 22, 2011
October 31 Last day for artists to apply for a residency at the CERN particle physics lab near Geneva. Learn more at www.aec.at/prix/collide/ November 4 Chicago’s Field Museum opens its “Restoring Earth” exhibit. See www.fieldmuseum.org November 6 The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., explores MIT labs as hot spots of invention. See […]
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Science Past from the issue of October 21, 1961
‘ALARM CLOCK’ BRINGS SNAKES TO SURFACE — A built-in “alarm clock” apparently helps a brightly-banded little desert snake come to the surface at night after he has buried himself to escape the day’s heat…. It had been noted that these snakes, which remain buried in the sand most of the time, appear to come to […]
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Disease Maps: Epidemics on the Ground by Tom Koch
This unconventional history charts the rise of epidemiology by examining how maps have been used to follow the spread of disease. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2011, 330 p., $45
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The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives by Diana Reiss
A dolphin researcher describes studies of the animals’ intelligence and makes a case for their protection. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011, 276 p., $27
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The Prince of Evolution: Peter Kropotkin’s Adventures in Science and Politics by Lee Alan Dugatkin
A biologist tells the tale of Peter Kropotkin, a Russian prince whose adventures and studies of evolution and society made him an international celebrity. CreateSpace, 2011, 121 p., $12.99
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Cosmic Numbers: The Numbers That Define Our Universe by James D. Stein
The stories behind numbers — their discoveries and relationships to one another — come to life in this tale of universal constants. Basic Books, 2011, 228 p., $25.99
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BOOK REVIEW: A More Perfect Heaven: How Copernicus Revolutionized the Cosmos by Dava Sobel
Review by Nadia Drake.
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- Health & Medicine
Reviving A Tired Heart
With a bit of encouragement, the life-giving muscle may renew itself.
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Letters
Lumpy lunar illusion Are you folks aware of a phenomenon based on the universal expectation that objects are illuminated by light coming from above? Several startling optical illusions are based on this quirk of the mind. For example, the sharp moon map in “Orbiter delivers sharp moon map” (SN: 7/30/11, p. 12) makes the moon […]
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Mathematicians think of everything as rubber
How the rubbery world of topology may help describe the universe.
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Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon by Alfredo Qui±ones-Hinojosa with Mim Eichler Rivas
An autobiography charts one man’s voyage from migrant worker to brain surgeon. Univ. of California Press, 2011, 317 p., $27.50
