More Stories from the July 4, 2009 issue
- Space
Astrometry nabs an exoplanet
long-proposed method of searching for extrasolar planets has finally discovered one — a body six times heavier than Jupiter that orbits a dwarf star 20 light-years from Earth.
- Physics
Mechanical systems all tangled up
Researchers link the motion of two ion pairs through “spooky action at a distance.”
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Alpine Antarctica, before the ice
A new survey may have unveiled the birthplace of the world’s largest ice sheet.
- Life
Huntington’s protein may have a crony
The mutant protein implicated in Huntington’s may rely on a second protein. The finding could help explain why only some neurons are vulnerable to the disease.
- Chemistry
Protein caught in the act
Researchers have developed a new way to see where the molecules are active.
- Humans
Autism care takes biological toll on mothers
Caring for teens and young adults with autism not only creates intense psychological pressure on mothers but may promote sharply decreased production of a crucial stress hormone, a long-term study suggests.
- Physics
Friction gives snakes a smooth slither
Combination of friction and push propels snakes forward on flat surfaces.
- Earth
When the Great Lakes were lower
New archaeological evidence shows signs of prehistoric hunting and other human activities on now-submerged portions of Lake Huron.
- Humans
Children get social with virtual peers
Life-size 3-D versions of children can draw kids with autism into social encounters and more news from the annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society in Park City, Utah, June 4-6.
- Space
Galactic black holes may be more massive than thought
The giant black holes at the cores of massive nearby galaxies may be two to four times heftier than estimated.
- Life
Hummingbird pulls Top Gun stunts
Male hummingbirds set record for extreme plunges out of the sky.
- Health & Medicine
Tuberculosis bacterium subverts basic cell functions
The tuberculosis microbe makes compounds that alter basic systems inside key immune cells, facilitating the bacterium’s survival in the body, new research shows.
- Planetary Science
Solar system’s future could be bumpy
A new study assesses the chances that two planets will collide or a planet will plunge into the sun in the next 5 billion years.
- Space
Betelgeuse shrinks
A familiar star, visible to the naked eye, has shrunk dramatically in just 15 years.
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- Health & Medicine
Stressed-out DNA turns mousy brown hair gray
Scientists show how change happens when cells responsible for colorful hair lose their self-renewing abilities.
- Health & Medicine
Replacing microRNA for cancer treatment
Replacing missing microRNAs in cancer cells may open up a new field for cancer treatment.
- Health & Medicine
Stomach surgery helps obese adolescents
Laparoscopic banding surgery to limit appetite improves several health markers in obese adolescents.
- Life
Estrogen may reprogram prostate cancer gene in black men
Study finds a lack of chemical tags near a prostate cancer gene in African American males.
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Science Future for July 4, 2009
July 19-23 Get education training at the NEED National Energy Conference for Educators in Nashville. See www.need.org/training July 31 Deadline for submissions to the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York City. Get more info at www.imaginesciencefilms.com October 28-November 1 Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers conference in Washington, D.C. Visit www.shpe.org/shpe2009
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Triumph of the Heart: The Story of Statins by Jie Jack Li
A medicinal chemist reviews the history of the widely used cholesterol-lowering medications. Oxford Univ. Press, 2009, 201 p., $29.95 TRIUMPH OF THE HEART: THE STORY OF STATINS BY JIE JACK LI
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The Lives of Ants by Laurent Keller and Élisabeth Gordon
A scientist and a writer team up to explore how these insects’ lives parallel human lives — in work, war and garden-tending. Oxford Univ. Press, 2009, 252 p., $27.95 THE LIVES OF ANTS BY LAURENT KELLER AND ÉLISABETH GORDON
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The Ethics of Protocells: Moral and Social Implications of Creating Life in the Laboratory by Mark A. Bedau and Emily C. Parke, eds.
This text offers a variety of perspectives on the potential risks and rewards of developing self-organizing, microscopic entities. MIT Press, 2009, 365 p., $28 THE ETHICS OF PROTOCELLS: MORAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF CREATING LIFE IN THE LABORATORY BY MARK A. BEDAU AND EMILY C. PARKE, EDS.
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Einstein’s Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe by Evalyn Gates
Scientists attempt to track down the invisible ingredients of the cosmos. W.W. Norton, 2009, 305 p., $25.95 EINSTEIN’S TELESCOPE: THE HUNT FOR DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY IN THE UNIVERSE BY EVALYN GATES
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Book Review: Flotsametrics and the Floating World by Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Eric Scigliano
Review by Sid Perkins.
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Intel ISEF Discussion Panel
Nobelists to students: Being wrong may be just right.
- Humans
Seeking genetic fate
Personal genomics companies offer forecasts of disease risk, but the science behind the packaging is still evolving.
- Physics
Microswimmers make a splash
Researchers study secrets of microbes' locomotion and how to mimic that movement.
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Letters
Astronomical art faux pas Assuming they are in the Northern Hemisphere, those two young folk on the cover of the May 23 Science News look remarkably chipper while keeping astronomers’ hours. I make the time to be about 3 a.m. as a waning decrescent moon rises.Dainis Bisenieks, Philadelphia, Pa. SPECIAL ASTRONOMY ISSUE COVER The cover […]
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Science Past from the issue of July 4, 1959
Brides and grooms are younger than ever — Today’s brides and grooms are younger than any others in the nation’s history, the Population Reference Bureau reported. The average age for first marriages in the U.S. last year was 23 for men and 20 for women. More girls married at 18 than at any other age. […]
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Painting Apollo: First Artist on Another World by Alan Bean
One of the 12 men to have walked on the moon shares his experiences through his art. Smithsonian Books, 2009, 224 p., $39.95,> PAINTING APOLLO: FIRST ARTIST ON ANOTHER WORLD BY ALAN BEAN
