en-ushttp://www.sciam.com/144http://www.sciam.com/media/logo/SAlogo_144px.gif45http://www.sciam.com/Copyright 1996-2009 Scientific AmericanScience news and technology updates from Scientific American Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=tennessee-physicist-sentenced-to-4-2009-07-03 <p>John Reece Roth, 71, a prominent plasma physicist was sentenced to four years in prison for 18 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and violations of the Arms Export Control Act, after he allowed a Chinese graduate student to see sensitive information on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=tennessee-physicist-sentenced-to-4-2009-07-03>[More]</a> Physics,Technology,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=species-rebound-endangered-iucn <p>The global crisis for endangered species is more serious than the financial meltdown, with numbers of imperiled animals and plants rising at record rates, scientists are warning in a report released today.</p><p>In its latest four-year assessment of endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has added several new entries to the Red List of Threatened Species. Judging from the list's expansion, the report warns, the world is unlikely to meet a goal of reversing a trend toward species depletion by 2010.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=species-rebound-endangered-iucn>[More]</a> Biology,Environment Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-snaps-2009-07-02 <p>NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which reached its destination just last week, is already showing its stuff.</p><p>The space agency switched on the LRO's cameras two days ago and today released the first images from the orbiter's mission, which is intended to pave the way for the return of astronauts to the moon. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter-snaps-2009-07-02>[More]</a> Space,Technology,What's Next Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=green-dam-web-filter-delayed-but-no-2009-07-02 <p>Although China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) earlier this week granted PC makers a reprieve from having to include the Green Dam-Youth Escort Internet filtering software with every PC sold in the country, the government today made clear that it's only a matter of time before the mandate is reinstated. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=green-dam-web-filter-delayed-but-no-2009-07-02>[More]</a> Technology,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=desert-plant-plucks-water-from-thin-2009-07-02 <p>The arid Negev Desert in southern Israel is no match for the desert rhubarb, which plant researchers say has found a unique way to water itself. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=desert-plant-plucks-water-from-thin-2009-07-02>[More]</a> Biology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=higher-temperatures-may-be-shrinkin-2009-07-02 <p>Bigger had always been better for sheep living on the remote, windswept Scottish island of Hirta. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=higher-temperatures-may-be-shrinkin-2009-07-02>[More]</a> Biology,Environment Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:49:03 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=28326362001 Puffins are being fitted with GPS devices similar to those used in satellite navigation to find why their numbers are down in a key British breeding colony. Biology,Environment Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:48:45 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=28325655001 Model aircraft enthusiasts converge on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel, for the International Jet World Masters Championship. Technology,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=ant-colony-crosses-continents-2009-07-02 <p>Those ants crawling across your picnic table this weekend might be members of a massive, transnational ant mafia, recently reported by researchers in Japan and Spain. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=ant-colony-crosses-continents-2009-07-02>[More]</a> Biology,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-so-fantastic <p>From cell phones and computers to bicycle helmets and hospital IV bags, plastic has molded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. But the synthetic material also has left harmful imprints on the environment and perhaps human health, according to a new compilation of articles authored by scientists from around the world.</p><p>More than 60 scientists contributed to the new report, which aims to present the first comprehensive review of the impact of plastics on the environment and human health, and offer possible solutions.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-so-fantastic>[More]</a> Environment,Health,Technology,Society & Policy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolved-eyes-back-of-head <p>As much as we might appreciate the value of detecting predators that approach from behind--or of keeping an eye on the offspring who follow us--it is important to remember that selection is not directed toward the development or formation of anything, let alone &ldquo;perfect&rdquo; organs. In other words, just because some feature seems like a good idea, random mutation and selection will not necessarily fashion it.</p><p>Body parts that enable us to detect the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, temperature and tactile elements of our environment did not arise from some master plan or blueprint. Rather selection crafted body parts from available components of cells and tissues within existing forms of life, molding ancient and intermediate versions of sensory cells and organs--each elegant in its own right--like lumps of clay over aeons into the shape and form of our modern bodies. There have never been perfectly formed organs for sight or hearing--just versions that get the job done.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolved-eyes-back-of-head>[More]</a> Biology,Health,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-trainings-unproven-hype <p>The market for brain-training software continues to grow, but evidence of the programs&rsquo; ability to boost memory or intelligence in a broadly applicable way (rather than simply making people better at the task they are practicing) remains scarce. New studies offer a tantalizing suggestion that certain programs may work--but the bulk of the research is murky.</p><p>Neuroscientist Peter Snyder of Brown University reviewed nearly 20 software studies and concluded that, as a group, they were underwhelming. They are marred by flaws that induce confounding factors, such as a lack of control groups and follow-up, Snyder warns. More than a third of those he reviewed were too shoddy even to include in the analysis he printed early this year in the journal Alzheimer&rsquo;s &amp; Dementia. &ldquo;You&rsquo;d be surprised at what gets published,&rdquo; he says. Although some products claimed to treat dementia, Snyder did not find any evidence to back such claims.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brain-trainings-unproven-hype>[More]</a> Biology,Health,Mind & Brain,Technology,Society & Policy,Science in Service Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=turbines-spin-in-antarctica <p>Wind energy is being harnessed everywhere, even Antarctica. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=turbines-spin-in-antarctica>[More]</a> Environment,Physics,Technology,Energy,Science in Service,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-stress-fractures-develop <p>Considering the forces involved in many sports, it's no surprise that professional athletes sustain serious injuries to their muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones. A spate of bone fracture&ndash;related injuries seems to be dogging professional teams this year. The Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association lost seven-time all-star Tracy McGrady to season-ending microfracture surgery in February. And on Monday, Rocket&rsquo;s team physician Tom Clanton announced in the Houston Chronicle that all-star center Yao Ming's fractured foot, which he sustained in a play-off game against the Los Angeles Lakers in May, has worsened over time and may end his career. The possibility that New York Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran might have a microfractured knee turned fans and fantasy baseball owners into nervous wrecks. Such an injury ended the career of NBA star Jamal Mashburn.</p><p>So how do these fractures develop? And why can they have such impact on athletes' careers, in some cases forcing players into early retirement? To find out, we turned to Howard Palamarchuk, a former Olympic-class race walker who is the director of sports medicine at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-do-stress-fractures-develop>[More]</a> Biology,Health Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=rain-zone-moving-north-09-07-02 <p>[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]</p><p>If you&rsquo;ve spoken to anyone in New York City--where Scientific American&rsquo;s offices are--then you&rsquo;ve heard about the rain, every day since mid-June.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=rain-zone-moving-north-09-07-02>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy,What's Next,Science in Service,Everyday Science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-wonderful-world-of-transgenic-a-09-07-02 <p>[Below is the original script. But a few changes may have been made during the recording of this audio podcast.]</p><p>Since Dolly the sheep was cloned back in July of 1996, the world of manipulating animal DNA has come a long way. In Massachusetts, goats now produce milk with drugs embedded. There are monkeys whose DNA glows green to enable scientific study. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-wonderful-world-of-transgenic-a-09-07-02>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Technology,Society & Policy,What's Next,Science in Service,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=perennial-problems-loom-large-for-t-2009-07-01 <p><p>Forget about climate change for a moment, the biggest threats to the world&rsquo;s imperiled species are deforestation, pollution, poaching and invasive species.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=perennial-problems-loom-large-for-t-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Society & Policy Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:47:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=bald-eagles-succumb-to-poison-in-ra-2009-07-01 <p>Last month we reported on bald eagles and other birds found dead after a rat eradication project in Alaska&rsquo;s Aleutian Islands. The National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., has confirmed that the birds were casualties of brodifacoum, the poison used in bait scattered around Rat Island by helicopter.</p><p>&ldquo;Every one of the liver samples tested positive for brodifacoum,&rdquo; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Bruce Woods told Scientific American. Fish and Wildlife law enforcement agents are investigating whether there were any egregious errors and to assess that the poison drop was conducted according to an approved protocol, Woods said.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=bald-eagles-succumb-to-poison-in-ra-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=dna-sudoku <p>A 2,000-year-old math theorem, along with Sudoku, may soon help researchers untangle DNA at blazing speeds. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=dna-sudoku>[More]</a> Biology,Health,Math,Technology,What's Next,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=happy-birthday-walkman-you-dont-sou-2009-07-01 <p>On this day three decades ago, Sony's original blue-and-silver Walkman went on sale in Japan, launching an era of personal, portable music and generations of oblivious subway riders and pedestrians. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=happy-birthday-walkman-you-dont-sou-2009-07-01>[More]</a> History of Science,Technology Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:20:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chestnut-tree-climate-change-carbon <p>The American chestnut tree, which towered over eastern U.S. forests before succumbing to a deadly fungus in the early 20th century, appears to be an excellent sponge for greenhouse gases, according to a new study. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chestnut-tree-climate-change-carbon>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:26:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=catch-you-later-blackberry-toting-s-2009-07-01 <p>Advances in memory and processing power have transformed mobile phones from bricklike boxes to gadgets about the size of a deck of cards. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=catch-you-later-blackberry-toting-s-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Technology,Science in Service,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=indonesia-gets-debt-relief-for-pres-2009-07-01 <p>The United States has agreed to cut what Indonesia owes Uncle Sam by nearly $30 million over eight years in exchange for increased protection of Sumatran forests that are home to endangered rhinos, tigers and orangutans. &nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->This debt-for-nature deal, orchestrated by Conservation International and the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, creates a trust to preserve 18.29 million acres, including Way Kambas National Park.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=indonesia-gets-debt-relief-for-pres-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Society & Policy,Science in Service Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=michael-hearst-lemur-robots <p>GuitarBot couldn't keep a tune. &quot;It's too high at the top, and too low at the bottom,&quot; Michael Hearst complained as he hopped onto the platform, giving the tuning knob a hopeful quarter-turn. But when he climbed down again and hit a button on his keyboard, the mechanical bridge slid back up the track, thumbing a note before wailing off-pitch once again.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=michael-hearst-lemur-robots>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Technology,What's Next Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:58:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=space-shuttle-endeavours-hydrogen-l-2009-07-01 <p>Will the third time be a charm for space shuttle Endeavour? NASA successfully tested a troublesome gas-venting system this morning, green-lighting the twice-delayed launch of the shuttle to the International Space Station. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=space-shuttle-endeavours-hydrogen-l-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Space,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=why-didnt-the-earth-freeze-complete-09-07-01 <p>[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]</p><p>During the last ice age our problem was too little carbon. Unlike today where too much carbon is causing global warming.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=why-didnt-the-earth-freeze-complete-09-07-01>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Energy,Science in Service,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=intermediate-black-hole <p>Black holes vary greatly in size, from relatively small ones several times the mass of the sun, which are born of collapsed stars, to supermassive lurkers like the one at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, with the mass of about four million suns. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=intermediate-black-hole>[More]</a> Physics,Space Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pedophiles-erotic-age-orientation <p>Michael Jackson probably wasn&rsquo;t a pedophile--at least, not in the strict, biological sense of the word. It&rsquo;s a morally loaded term, pedophile, that has become synonymous with the very basest of evils. (In fact it&rsquo;s hard to even say it aloud without cringing, isn&rsquo;t it?) But according to sex researchers, it&rsquo;s also a grossly misused term. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pedophiles-erotic-age-orientation>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Society & Policy Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:56:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=save-the-giant-spitting-earthworm-2009-07-01 <p>The three-foot long, giant Palouse earthworm has only been seen a few times in the last century, for which many people are probably grateful. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=save-the-giant-spitting-earthworm-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Environment,Environment Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:36:38 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=28204474001 Michael Hearst of the band One Ring Zero records his next solo album with a little help from the LemurBots Technology,Technology,What's Next,Everyday Science,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:36:38 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=28204474001 Michael Hearst of the band One Ring Zero records his next solo album with a little help from the LemurBots Technology,Technology,What's Next,Everyday Science,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:05:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fit-body-fit-mind <p>As everybody knows, if you do not work out, your muscles get flaccid. What most people don&rsquo;t realize, however, is that your brain also stays in better shape when you exercise. And not just challenging your noggin by, for example, learning a new language, doing difficult crosswords or taking on other intellectually stimulating tasks. As researchers are finding, physical exercise is critical to vigorous mental health, too.</p><p>Surprised? Although the idea of exercising cognitive machinery by performing mentally demanding activities--popularly termed the &ldquo;use it or lose it&rdquo; hypothesis--is better known, a review of dozens of studies shows that maintaining a mental edge requires more than that. Other things you do--including participating in activities that make you think, getting regular exercise, staying socially engaged and even having a positive attitude--have a meaningful influence on how effective your cognitive functioning will be in old age.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fit-body-fit-mind>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Health,Mind & Brain,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:02:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coral-fights-antibiotic-resistance <p>Several years ago biochemists studying marine ecosystems noticed something unusual: a sponge thriving in the middle of a coral reef that was dying from a bacterial infection. The researchers identified a substance made by the sponge that defended it from harmful microbes and realized it was a natural antibacterial molecule called ageliferin. Ageliferin can break down the formation of a protective biofilm coating that bacteria use to shield themselves from threats, including antibiotic drugs.</p><p>Now a team of researchers at North Carolina State University is using the natural compound to create innovative ways to fight drug-resistant bacteria. The researchers have recently tweaked the structure of ageliferin to make it more potent and formulated it to help conventional medications combat otherwise drug-resistant bacteria, such as staph and cholera. &ldquo;Our chemical doesn&rsquo;t stop the bugs from proliferating. It just allows the anti&shy;biotic to work again,&rdquo; says Christian Melander, a chemistry professor at the university who was part of the effort.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=coral-fights-antibiotic-resistance>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pump-your-brain <p>Cognitive-enhancement drugs have been in the headlines a great deal lately--they stoke your gray matter, enabling greater focus and attention for longer periods of time, users say. But their long-term effects are uncertain and unknown, on both brain and body. In the meantime, there&rsquo;s something you can do that helps both areas but that doesn&rsquo;t have any known mental health risks. As study after study has shown, simple physical activity not only builds your physique and cardiovascular health: it also helps to sharpen the wetware in your skull and thwarts mental decline as you advance in years. Check out our feature story, &ldquo;Fit Body, Fit Mind?&rdquo; by psychologist Christopher Hertzog and his colleagues. You&rsquo;ll be glad you did.</p><p>A different kind of brain performance question is explored in &ldquo;Do ADHD Drugs Take a Toll on the Brain?&rdquo; Of course, drugs that treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder have provided enormous benefits for many thousands of patients, and nobody should make any decisions about their suitability without consulting a professional. But the article, by Edmund S. Higgins, discusses evidence that raises concerns about the long-term consequences of such medications. Understanding about the related brain mechanisms will grow with further research, and we expect that such medicines ultimately could be improved in the future. Naturally, Scientific American Mind applauds all such efforts to provide better mental health for everyone.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pump-your-brain>[More]</a> Biology,Chemistry,Health,Mind & Brain,Science in Service Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:59:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=calendar-july-aug-09 <p>JULY</p><p>9 On this day in 1934, Canadian scientist Herbert Jasper of Brown Uni&shy;versity made the first electrical tracing from a human brain. Jasper, considered to be one of the founders of modern neurosci&shy;ence, pioneered the use of the electroencephalogram (EEG) to study electrical activity associated with fundamental brain functions such as consciousness and learning. He and his collaborator, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, also elucidated the mechanism underlying epilepsy and invented a highly successful procedure to treat seizures. Their work has contributed largely to our understanding of functional anatomy and lateralization of the human brain.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=calendar-july-aug-09>[More]</a> Biology,Health,Mind & Brain,Technology,Society & Policy,What's Next,Science in Service Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals <p>In a 1997 episode of The Simpsons entitled &ldquo;The Springfield Files&rdquo;--a parody of X-Files in which Homer has an alien encounter in the woods (after imbibing 10 bottles of Red Tick Beer)--Leonard Nimoy voices the intro as he once did for his post-Spock run on the television mystery series In Search of...: &ldquo;The following tale of alien encounters is true. And by true, I mean false. It&rsquo;s all lies. But they&rsquo;re entertaining lies, and in the end isn&rsquo;t that the real truth? The answer is no.&rdquo;</p><p>No cubed. The postmodernist belief in the relativism of truth, coupled to the clicker culture of mass media where attention spans are measured in New York minutes, leaves us with a bewildering array of truth claims packaged in infotainment units. It must be true--I saw it on television, at the movies, on the Internet. The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, That&rsquo;s Incredible, The Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, Loose Change, Zeitgeist the Movie. Mysteries, magic, myths and monsters. The occult and the supernatural. Conspiracies and cabals. The face on Mars and aliens on Earth. Bigfoot and Loch Ness. ESP and PSI. UFOs and ETIs. JFK, RFK and MLK--alphabet conspiracies. Altered states and hypnotic regression. Remote viewing and astroprojection. Ouija boards and Tarot cards. Astrology and palm reading. Acupuncture and chiropractic. Repressed memories and false memories. Talking to the dead and listening to your inner child. Such claims are an obfuscating amalgam of theory and conjecture, reality and fantasy, nonfiction and science fiction. Cue dramatic music. Darken the backdrop. Cast a shaft of light across the host&rsquo;s face. The truth is out there. I want to believe.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Everyday Science Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=ocean-researchers-developing-roboti-2009-07-01 <p>When it comes to mapping the ocean floor, lasers can capture fine details even better than the sonar. However, while sound waves excel at cutting through dense materials, light waves move best through empty space, making it difficult for lasers to penetrate the ocean's murky depths. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=ocean-researchers-developing-roboti-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Environment,Technology,What's Next,Science in Service Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=celiac-disease-is-on-the-rise-2009-07-01 <p>Frozen blood samples collected more than 50 years ago reveal that celiac disease, an intolerance to the wheat protein gluten, was less than a quarter as common then as it is today.&nbsp; <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=celiac-disease-is-on-the-rise-2009-07-01>[More]</a> Health Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:05:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=atul-gawande-redux-09-07-01 <p>While Steve's at the conference of the World Federation of Science Journalists in London, we look ahead to some of the programming coming your way in the coming weeks, and we replay our 2007 interview with surgeon Atul Gawande, whose recent research in The New England Journal of Medicine and writing in The New Yorker have caused a big stir in the medical and health care reform communities. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=atul-gawande-redux-09-07-01>[More]</a> Health,Society & Policy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=scientists-flesh-out-foss <p>Earlier this week scientists studying fossilized teeth from a hadrosaur revealed how the duck-billed dinosaur chewed plants for food. Now another team, analyzing what may be the most intact dinosaur mummy discovered yet, report fresh details about the skin of a hadrosaur nicknamed Dakota, which might have been bigger and moved more quickly than previously thought. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=scientists-flesh-out-foss>[More]</a> Archaeology & Paleontology,Biology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:57:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=nasa-set-to-test-repairs-of-space-s-2009-06-30 <p>NASA will refill space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank tomorrow morning to test whether the leak that twice scrubbed the orbiter's launch earlier this month has been properly repaired. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=nasa-set-to-test-repairs-of-space-s-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Space,Everyday Science Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:25:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=metal-organic-frameworks-carbon-capture <p>To capture the carbon dioxide generated by coal plants, chemical companies like Dow Chemical Co. and energy giants like Alstom SA have been betting big on liquid solvents like amine, a corrosive derivative of ammonia that has a thirst for binding with CO2.</p><p>Problem is, once the two are bound, they never want to part.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=metal-organic-frameworks-carbon-capture>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy,Energy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:10:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=epa-reverses-bush-ruling-grants-cal-2009-06-30 <p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said today that it will let California set its own tailpipe emissions standards under a fresh interpretation of the Clean Air Act, The Los Angeles Times reports. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=epa-reverses-bush-ruling-grants-cal-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy,Energy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=flood-of-objections-to-chinas-inter-2009-06-30 <p>The Chinese government is retreating from a controversial requirement that every PC sold in the country be equipped with Internet filtering software. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=flood-of-objections-to-chinas-inter-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Technology,Society & Policy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=gray-wolf-returns-to-endangered-lis-2009-06-30 <p>After just a couple months off the endangered species list, the gray wolf in the western Great Lakes is back to &ldquo;threatened&rdquo; status. A government reversal, not a sudden drop in the 4,000-plus wolf population, put the animals back on the protected list, the Associated Press reports. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=gray-wolf-returns-to-endangered-lis-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Society & Policy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=wildfire-season-ignites-research-an-2009-06-30 <p>If you&rsquo;re looking forward to fireworks over the July Fourth weekend, you&rsquo;re probably not a firefighter or someone with a house next to a tinder-dry patch of woods. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=wildfire-season-ignites-research-an-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=stuck-mars-rover-passing-its-time-a-2009-06-30 <p>The hobbled Spirit rover, stuck in a tricky patch of Martian soil, is whiling away the hours with a little stargazing. From its stationary post in an area known as Troy, the rover has been turning its cameras to the skies to act as an ad hoc observatory on Mars, as noted by Universe Today. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=stuck-mars-rover-passing-its-time-a-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Space,Technology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:54:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=mounting-cost-of-cancer-drugs-raise-2009-06-30 <p>How much are cancer drugs worth that may only prolong a patient&rsquo;s life by a few weeks? It&rsquo;s a pressing question given the rising cost of medicines, and one that a pair of National Institutes of Health researchers is urging cancer specialists to tackle now. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=mounting-cost-of-cancer-drugs-raise-2009-06-30>[More]</a> Health,Society & Policy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=video-games-by-prescription <p>Parents often complain that their children are spending increasing amounts of time playing computer-based video games. Kids get together and just sit in front of a computer or a television with a gaming console, and they do not talk to each. They just watch the screen, which is probably damaging to their eye sight. They don&rsquo;t get out enough and do not get enough exercise. Etc.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=video-games-by-prescription>[More]</a> Mind & Brain Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=crawling-may-be-unnecessary <p>Babies must crawl before they walk, parents and pediatricians agree. Crawling has also been held up as a prerequisite to the normal progression of other aspects of neuromuscular and neurological development, such as hand-eye coordination and social maturation. But new research may knock the legs out from under this conventional wisdom.</p><p>According to anthropologist David Tracer of the University of Colorado at Boulder, babies of the Au hunter-gatherers of Pa&shy;pua New Guinea do not go through a crawling stage. Instead their parents and other caregivers carry them until they can walk. Yet Au children do not appear to suffer any ill effects from skipping this phase. In a presentation given to the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Chicago this past April, Tracer argued that, in fact, not crawling may be entirely normal and possibly even adaptive.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=crawling-may-be-unnecessary>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Health,Society & Policy