More Stories from the August 1, 2009 issue
- Health & Medicine
Rheumatoid arthritis drug clears hurdle
Anti-inflammatory injections of golimumab work in people with rheumatoid arthritis who failed to improve on other meds.
- Paleontology
Flexible molars made chewing champions out of duck-billed dinosaurs
Tiny scratches in the fossilized teeth of Edmontosaurus suggest what these large herbivores ate and how they ate it.
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- Physics
Mass mismatch makes mystery for proton’s strange cousin
An exotic cousin of the proton is caught in action again. But its measured mass doesn’t match previous results.
- Life
Salamanders don’t regrow limbs from scratch
A closer look at regeneration in axolotl amputees shows that tissue replacement relies on cellular “memory.”
- Health & Medicine
Schizophrenia risk gets more complex
Three studies find that large collections of variants, rather than just a few key mutations, probably predispose someone to schizophrenia.
- Psychology
2-year-olds possess grammatical insights
Toddlers discern basic rules for using nouns and verbs at least one year before speaking in complete sentences, French brain researchers report.
- Life
New drug hits leukemia early
An experimental drug may stop a deadly leukemia in its early stages, a study of mice shows.
- Life
Climate change shrinks sheep
Milder winters help small, weak lambs survive but more competition for food slows growth.
- Earth
New cyclone predictor
Researchers link occasional sea-surface warming in central Pacific with more, stronger hurricanes in North Atlantic.
- Life
Hornets suffocate in bee ball
Researchers find a spike in carbon dioxide, along with an increase in heat, makes honeybees' enemies vulnerable.
- Physics
Capping the length of extra dimensions
The existence of a small, elderly black hole places a new upper limit on the length of any extra dimension, a new study suggests.
- Anthropology
Maize may have fueled ancient Andean civilization
A chemical analysis of skeletons from Peru’s Andes Mountains suggests that cultivation of key crop made building a prehistoric civilization possible.
- Health & Medicine
Caloric restriction extends life in monkeys, study finds
New study finds calorie restriction delays age-related diseases in monkeys. Another study reports that an immune-suppressing drug helps elderly mice live longer.
- Space
Pairing off in the early universe
New simulations reveal that some of the first stars in the universe formed in pairs.
- Animals
Turtles make sense after all
The odd bodies of turtles add a wrinkle to standard land-dwelling vertebrates.
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- Earth
Erosion, on the down low
Experiments show how microscopic fungi attack minerals to begin the erosion process.
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Science Future for August 1, 2009
August 12–15 Scientists convene at the American Ornithologists’ Union meeting in Philadelphia. Visit www.birdmeetings.org/aou2009 August 31 Proposals to digitize scientist Wernher von Braun’s notes due to NASA. See www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/home September 12 The Smithsonian Institution hosts a symposium on Darwin in Washington, D.C. See www.mnh.si.edu/calendar.asp
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Understanding Perennials: A New Look at an Old Favorite by William Cullina
An intimate portrait of perennials aims to give a deeper understanding of these garden standbys. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009, 247 p., $40. Understanding Perennials: A New Look at an Old Favorite by William Cullina
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Cogent Science in Context: The Science Wars, Argumentation Theory, and Habermas by William Rehg
A philosopher reflects on the best way to validate a scientific claim. MIT Press, 2009, 345 p., $40. Cogent Science in Context: The Science Wars, Argumentation Theory, and Habermas by William Rehg
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Alien Ocean: Anthropological Voyages in Microbial Seas by Stefan Helmreich
Research reveals the complexity and diversity of microbial life in the sea. Univ. of California, 2009, 403 p., $24.95. Alien Ocean: Anthropological Voyages in Microbial Seas by Stefan Helmreich
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Decoding the Heavens by Jo Marchant
A science writer takes readers on a quest to decode the Antikythera Mechanism, the first analog computer. Da Capo Press, 2009, 328 p., $25. Decoding the Heavens by Jo Marchant
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Book Review: Historic Photos of the Manhattan Project by Timothy Joseph
Review by Sid Perkins.
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Accept it: Talk about evolution needs to evolve
W atch your language! It’s a common message from Eugenie Scott, a physical anthropologist and director of the National Center for Science Education (www.ncseweb.org), an organization dedicated to promoting and defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. Scott recently spoke with Science News writer Susan Milius. So you urge scientists not to say that […]
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When Humor Humiliates
For gelotophobes, even good-natured laughter can sound a lot like ridicule.
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The Biofuel Future
Scientists seek ways to make green energy pay off.
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Letters
Lead or poverty’s later toll Most toxic materials have the most deleterious effects at the earliest exposure ages, so I was puzzled by the study outcome in “School-age lead exposures may do more harm than earlier exposures” (SN: 6/6/09, p. 13). Did the study control for social and financial background? It would make sense for […]
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Science Past from the issue of August 1, 1959
Rename discomfort index — This summer you have a chance to “do something about,” not the weather, but the combination of heat and humidity that often makes so many persons so uncomfortable. The Weather Bureau in June started experimentally … publishing for the summer what it then called the “Discomfort Index.” The immediate results were […]
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Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism by Hervé This
A chemist trained in culinary arts explores the science of a good meal, with tips for how to make one. Columbia Univ., 2009, 135 p., $19.95. Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism by Hervé This
