Recently added articles from Science News:

The curtain goes up--on the new science news.(From the Publisher)

Apr 12, 2008; Marincola, Elizabeth ... Even the longest running and most successful show on Broadway occasionally needs a facelift. In show business that often means changes in the cast, perhaps new lead actors and refurbished sets, giving a much-loved and familiar show a fresh touch. The same is true in publishing ....

Antibiotic alligator: promising proteins lurk in reptile blood.(This Week)

Apr 12, 2008; Ehrenberg, Rachel ... Researchers hunting for new antibiotics might get some aid from gator blood. Scientists are zeroing in on snippets of proteins found in American alligator blood that kill a wide range of disease-causing microbes and bacteria, including the formidable MRSA or methicillin-resistant ...

Stem cell snag: implanted cells may show signs of Parkinson's.(This Week)

Apr 12, 2008; Barry, Patrick ... For the first time, researchers have found evidence that Parkinson's disease might spread to healthy nerve cells implanted into a patient's brain. In postmortem studies, researchers found that a small minority of implanted cells in three patients had acquired traits associated ...

Einstein's invisible hand: is relativity making metal act like a noble gas?(This Week)(Albert Einstein)

Apr 12, 2008; Castelvecchi, Davide ... Superheavy element 114 should be a metal. Controversial data from an experiment in Dubna, Russia, suggest instead that effects from Einstein's theory of relativity might make the element's chemistry closer to that of a noble gas, like radon. If the results are confirmed, it would be the ...

All in the family: for some animals, the ideal mate is a brother, sister or cousin.

Apr 12, 2008; Callaway, Ewen ... In late March, as winter unclenches its frigid grip on upstate New York, a spotted salamander's thoughts turn fleetingly to love. After early spring rains soak the forests where the salamanders live, thousands of the slimy little creatures descend on small vernal pools for the amphibian ...

Robin stole credit for Batman's deeds.(ECOLOGY)(Brief article)

Apr 12, 2008; Milius, Susan ... It's not just birds that control insects in tropical forests and farmland. Bats may be doing at least as much of the work, according to two new field studies. The abundance of caterpillars, beetles and other arthropods in tropical ecosystems offers fine dining for predators ....

Refuge for the resilient.(ENVIRONMENT)(Brief article)

Apr 12, 2008; Maxmen, Amy ... Lovely yet high-maintenance, vulnerable reefs may not survive global warming, despite labor-intensive conservation efforts. More focus should be on creating and protecting marine refuges in areas that won't collapse when oceans warm, a new study suggests. "We need to create more ...

Solving a cosmic ray conundrum.(ASTRONOMY)(Brief article)

Apr 12, 2008; Cowen, Ron ... Astronomers say they have solved a puzzle about the most energetic particles that smash into Earth. Known as ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays, these particles, mostly protons, each pack as much punch as a fast-pitched baseball. According to a theory first proposed 42 years ago, the ...

Britain's biggest meteorite strike.(EARTH SCIENCE)(Brief article)

Apr 12, 2008; Perkins, Sid ... An unusual layer of rocks found along Britain's northwestern coast formed from debris thrown out of a crater during a meteorite strike more than 1 billion years ago, geologists say. The Stac Fada stratum, long thought to be of volcanic origin, stretches for 50 kilometers along ...

Trees: A Visual Guide.(Books: A selection of new and notable books of scientific interest)(Brief article)(Book review)

Apr 12, 2008 ... TREES: A Visual Guide TONY RODD AND JENNIFER STACKHOUSE Trees vary drastically in appearance and characterize a variety of landscapes. Spanning fern forests to mangrove swamps, this volume is a gorgeous and informative guide to the arboreal world. Authors Rodd and Stackhouse are ...

Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath.(Books: A selection of new and notable books of scientific interest)(Brief article)(Book review)

Apr 12, 2008 ... HEAD CASES: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath MICHAEL PAUL MASON More than 5 million Americans live with permanent disability resulting from brain injury. More than 90,000 have an injury severe enough to require an extended stay in a brain injury ...

Volcano: A Visual Guide.(Books: A selection of new and notable books of scientific interest)(Brief article)(Book review)

Apr 12, 2008 ... VOLCANO: A Visual Guide DONNA O'MEARA Volcanoes have catastrophic power. An eruption can transform the landscape and destroy surrounding life. Yet, at the same time, volcanoes are beautiful. In this book of stunning photographs, O'Meara, who has traveled the globe ...

The Puzzle of the Platypus--and Other Explorations of Science in Action.(Books: A selection of new and notable books of scientific interest)(Brief article)(Book review)

Apr 12, 2008 ... THE PUZZLE OF THE PLATYPUS--and Other Explorations of Science in Action JACK MYERS AND JOHN RICE Created for 9- to 12-year-olds, the stories (and the art by Rice) in this book illustrate how researchers have used science to solve animal mysteries through ...

What Bugged the Dinosaurs? Insects, Disease, and Death in the Cretaceous.(Books: A selection of new and notable books of scientific interest)(Brief article)(Book review)

Apr 12, 2008 ... WHAT BUGGED THE DINOSAURS? Insects, Disease, and Death in the Cretaceous GEORGE POINAR JR. AND ROBERTA POINAR Disease may have played a pivotal role in ending the reign of dinosaurs. That's the basic premise behind this book by the Poinars, who ...

Dark star.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)

Apr 12, 2008; Cater, Eugene (Gene) ... In "From Dark Matter to Light: New models of galaxy formation show the gastro in physics" (SN: 3/22/08, p. 186), Ron Cowen says that gas is where the action is since dark matter predominantly responds to only gravity. Because dark matter responds to gravity, wouldn't it, like gas, be ...

Chemical mis-formula.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)

Apr 12, 2008; Grubbs, G. David ... "Rotten Remedy: Hydrogen sulfide joins the list of the body's friendly, if foul, gases" (SN: 3/8/08, 19. 152) shows the formula for sodium ...

Respect the past.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)

Apr 12, 2008; Cerchio, Gerard J. ... I feel that Rachel Ehrenberg was entirely too glib in "Digging that Maya blue" (SN: 3/1/08, 19. 134). The description of an ancient Mayan religious ritual as "plucking the hearts from humans and tossing the bodies into the sacred cenote" is ...

Correction.(LETTERS)(Correction notice)

Apr 12, 2008 ... Correction Due to misinformation obtained during an interview, "Weather maker" (SN: 3/15/08, p. 164) reported that upward wind velocities due to convection over the Gulf Stream are as high as 40 ...

Without substance: ADHD meds don't up kids' drug abuse risk.(This Week)( attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)

Apr 05, 2008; Bower, Bruce ... Stimulants have long been prescribed to children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Over the past decade, child psychiatrists have debated the long-term potential for these medications to trigger drug abuse. Two new studies indicate that the stimulants do not ...

Caught in the act? Images may reveal planetary birth.(This Week)

Apr 05, 2008; Cowen, Ron ... They might be planets. Peering into disks of gas and dust that surround young stars, two teams of astronomers have for the first time imaged dusty clumps that could be planets in the making. Material within the disks, ubiquitous around newborn stars, can coalesce ...