More Stories from the September 8, 2012 issue
- Space
Black hole theory deepens lithium crisis
A new proposal suggests a potential new source of the element as astrophysicists try to explain why it’s in such short supply.
- Space
Crowd sourcing comes to astronomy
Researchers comb the Internet for snapshots of a comet and use the collected images to calculate its orbit.
- Humans
Maiden shows signs of TB-like infection
Molecular analysis yields clues about the immune system activity of a probable sacrificial victim.
- Health & Medicine
Ecstasy may cause memory problems
New users of club drug do worse than nonusers on one recall test.
- Humans
DNA hints at African cousin to humans
Complete genetic profiles of people from three hunter-gatherer groups suggest Homo sapiens interbred with a now-extinct species on the continent relatively recently.
- Life
Select cells appear to spawn tumors
Separate studies support the theory that stem cells cause cancers to emerge and recur.
- Life
Rabies resistance arises in backwater thick with vampire bats
Residents of two remote Peruvian communities appear to have survived infection by the deadly virus.
- Life
How the elephant gets its infrasound
Just blowing air through a pachyderm’s larynx produces fundamental elements of the mysterious rumblings that send messages too low for people to hear.
- Earth
Extreme hot spells rising
Analyzing six decades of temperature records reveals inexorable warming and increasing episodes of extreme heat.
- Health & Medicine
Monkey brains sensitive to others’ flubs
Some of the brain’s nerve cells are programmed to light up only upon witnessing another’s error.
- Humans
North African Diaspora written in genes
DNA analysis of people from 15 groups identifies distinct groups and migrations.
- Health & Medicine
Thinner isn’t always better in diabetes
Normal-weight people who develop diabetes have higher mortality than people who are overweight or obese at the disease’s onset
- Humans
New fossils hint at ancestral split
Jaw and face bones suggest two Homo species lived in East Africa nearly 2 million years ago.
- Earth
Global groundwater use outpaces supply
Footprint measure reveals unsustainable use of the world’s aquifers.
- Life
Unusual virus may tie snakes in knots
Captive snakes with a fatal disease harbor viruses never before seen in reptiles.
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Creating small wonders
Cell biologist and inventor Gary Greenberg’s career took a turn about 10 years ago when his brother sent him a canister of beach sand. Greenberg placed a pinch under a light microscope. Magnified hundreds of times, the colorful, intricate sand grains resembled beads from a necklace. “I was just blown away. I couldn’t believe that […]
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Science Future for September 8, 2012
September 26 The Houston Museum of Natural Science celebrates Oktoberfest with the History and Science of Beer. Learn more at bit.ly/SFhoustOkt September 27–30 The first Wisconsin Science Festival in Madison has hands-on activities and exhibits on the physics of football, the chemistry of urine, Midwest archaeology and more. See bit.ly/SFwiscfest
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SN Online
LIFE Insects practice their own form of suicide bombing. See “Terminator termites have unique technique.” Marina Montresor, SZN, Alfred Wegener Institute ENVIRONMENT Iron fertilizer passes a test as a climate aid in “Field test stashes climate-warming carbon in deep ocean.” SCIENCE & THE PUBLIC BLOG Dental resins may be linked to some behavioral shifts in […]
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Secret Chambers: The Inside Story of Cells & Complex Life by Martin Brasier
A paleontologist takes a deep look at the early days of complex cells, more than a billion years ago. Oxford Univ., 2012, 298 p., $29.95
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The Good, the True, and the Beautiful: A Neuronal Approach by Jean-Pierre Changeux
A neurobiologist ponders Plato’s idea of three fundamental “essences” in the context of the human brain. Yale Univ., 2012, 386 p., $35
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Darwin’s Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott
This history of evolutionary science sheds light on Darwin’s many predecessors who saw evidence for natural selection. Spiegel & Grau, 2012, 380 p., $27
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Born Together – Reared Apart: The Landmark Minnesota Twin Study by Nancy L. Segal
The story of the Minnesota Twin Study, ongoing since the 1970s, shows the work’s role in untangling the genetics of personality, intelligence and health. Harvard Univ., 2012, 410 p., $49.95
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BOOK REVIEW: Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale by Tom Wilber
Review by Rachel Ehrenberg.
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BOOK REVIEW: Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe by George Dyson
Review by Tom Siegfried.
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As Told By the Egg
The story of fertilization, from the female point of view.
- Earth
The facts behind the frack
The gas, primarily methane, is cheap and relatively clean. Because America is brimful of the stuff, harvesting the fuel via fracking could provide the country jobs and reduce its dependence on foreign sources of energy.
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Making Data Work
Researchers pursue analogy between statistical evidence and thermodynamics.
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Letters
Sun’s speed unclear Sun’s speed unclear In “Sun’s shock wave goes missing” (SN: 6/16/12, p. 17), Nadia Drake reports the speed of the sun through space at 83,500 kilometers per hour, or roughly 11,000 km/h slower than previously thought. Yet in the same issue (“At home in the universe,” p. 22), Alexandra Witze reports the […]
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Science Past for September 8, 1962
NEW METHOD USES CRYSTAL TO DETECT COSMIC RAYS — A new method for detecting the cosmic rays that continuously bombard the earth from outer space has been developed. The technique of using a crystal to catch the tracks of cosmic rays, already showing its worth on earth, will be tried from an earth satellite this […]
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Mathematical Excursions to the World’s Great Buildings by Alexander J. Hahn
Explore math principles behind the designs of structures from the Parthenon to the Sydney Opera House. Princeton Univ., 2012, 317 p., $49.50
