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 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:57:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=fight-to-protect-california-condors-2009-11-20 <p> It has been 22 years since the last 22 California condors ( Gymnogyps californianus ) were collected from the wild and placed in captive breeding programs. The species, which nearly went extinct due to habitat loss, poaching, DDT and lead poisoning, has since rebounded to 332 birds, according to counts maintained by the Zoological Society of San Diego . But despite that conservation success, condors still face a major threat from lead poisoning, which often occurs when the birds eat carcasses killed by hunters' lead ammunition. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=fight-to-protect-california-condors-2009-11-20>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lhc-restart <p>The Large Hadron Collider , the world's most powerful particle accelerator, is drawing near to its long-awaited reboot. More than a year after the European collider's initial start-up was quashed by a helium leak caused by a faulty electrical connection , particle beams have been injected into the collider, known as the LHC, and may be guided fully through its rings in the coming hours. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lhc-restart>[More]</a> Physics,Basic Science,Astrophysics,Cosmology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=patrick-gallagher-nist <p>Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce confirmed Patrick Gallagher as the 14th director of its National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) . Although the title may be new to Gallagher, NIST's mission of developing measurement science, standards and technology isn't. The 46-year-old physicist began his career in the organization's NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) in 1993 to pursue studies in neutron and x-ray instrumentation; in 2004 he became NCNR's director. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=patrick-gallagher-nist>[More]</a> Health & Medicine,Technology,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Energy & Sustainability,Science Education,Computing Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:27:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nuclear-power-plant-aging-reactor-replacement- <p>Could nuclear power plants last as long as the Hoover Dam?</p><p>Increasingly dependable and emitting few greenhouse gases, the U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants will likely run for another 50 or even 70 years before it is retired -- long past the 40-year life span planned decades ago -- according to industry executives, regulators and scientists.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nuclear-power-plant-aging-reactor-replacement->[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology,Climate Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:37:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bisphenol-bpa-linda-birnbaum-health-chemical-contaminants <p>Nearly a year ago, toxicologist Linda Birnbaum was named director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program. She sat down with Environmental Health News journalist Jane Kay in San Francisco on Wednesday to answer questions about the environmental health risks we face today. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bisphenol-bpa-linda-birnbaum-health-chemical-contaminants>[More]</a> Environment,Health & Medicine,Energy & Sustainability,Energy & Sustainability,Ecology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:25:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=women-should-undergo-fewer-pap-test-2009-11-20 <p> Just days after the release of controversial new guidelines recommending against routine mammograms for most women under 50, a different group of medical professionals has announced that the frequency of Pap tests for cervical cancer detection should also be decreased for most women. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=women-should-undergo-fewer-pap-test-2009-11-20>[More]</a> Biology,Health & Medicine,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Medical Technology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:05:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=first-helium-nova <p>A stellar explosion known as a nova that was detected in 2000 formed a two-lobed shell of material ejected from the star. Shaped like a bow tie, it continues to swell at great velocity. But, curiously, the coat of ejecta flowing outward from the star lacks hydrogen, the most common gas in the universe. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=first-helium-nova>[More]</a> Physics,Space,Astrophysics Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=plants-share-light-if-neighbor-is-r-09-11-20 <p>We humans are known to help out members of our own families. When it comes to business we call it nepotism. Now plants have demonstrated the same predilection, in a study published in the American Journal of Botany . <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=plants-share-light-if-neighbor-is-r-09-11-20>[More]</a> Biology,Basic Science,Basic Science,Evolutionary Biology,Green Living Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=leading-british-climate-centre <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=leading-british-climate-centre>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability,Climate,Communications,Computing Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-enertia <p> Dear EarthTalk: I recently saw a reference to &ldquo;Enertia houses&rdquo; that require little in the way of external sources for heating or cooling.&nbsp; Do you have any information on this housing design? --Alan Marshfield, via e-mail <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-enertia>[More]</a> Environment,Technology,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology,Clean Air Policy,Green Living,Energy Technology,Energy Technology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=letters-mind-nov-09 <p> Parents and Peers As a psychologist very familiar with the research, I think in &ldquo; Do Parents Matter? &rdquo; Judith Harris is conflating personality and behavior, which are two different concepts. Personality has more to do with genetic traits related to mood and energy (which plenty of research indicates are strongly influenced by genetics). Behavior, on the other hand, depends on context and is guided by laws of behaviorism--that is, reinforcement principles. If parents do (or do not) provide reinforcement for specific types of behavior, you will either see or not see those behaviors. Likewise, certain behaviors will be reinforced in the classroom by teachers.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=letters-mind-nov-09>[More]</a> Biology,Health & Medicine,Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Language & Linguistics,Language & Linguistics,Addiction & Recovery,Neuroscience,Psychiatry,Psychology,Thought & Cognition,Pharmaceuticals Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=war-is-peace <p>When I saw the statement repeated online that theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge would be dead by now if he lived in the U.K. and had to depend on the National Health Service (he, of course, is alive and working in the U.K., where he always has), I reflected on something I had written a dozen years ago, in one of my first published commentaries:</p><p>&ldquo;The increasingly blatant nature of the nonsense uttered with impunity in public discourse is chilling. Our democratic society is imperiled as much by this as any other single threat, regardless of whether the origins of the nonsense are religious fanaticism, simple ignorance or personal gain.&rdquo;</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=war-is-peace>[More]</a> Health & Medicine,Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Science Education,Language & Linguistics,Language & Linguistics,Psychology,Thought & Cognition,Communications,Computing Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-reviews-asylum <p> BOOKS Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-reviews-asylum>[More]</a> Health & Medicine,Society & Policy,Basic Science,Addiction & Recovery,Neurological Disorders,Neuroscience,Psychiatry,Psychology,Thought & Cognition,Ethics,Medical Technology,Pharmaceuticals Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-jellyfish-menace-09-11-19 <p> A silent, blobbing menace swarms the seas , thanks to overfishing, climate change and even &quot;dead zones &quot; . Jellyfish seem set to regain their dominance of the oceans in future--and that could be bad news for humans. &nbsp;</p><p> The two-meter long jellyfish known as Nomura have begun swarming year after year off the coast of Japan, 500 million or more of them fouling fishing nets thanks to agricultural runoff from China spurring plankton blooms. With fewer fish, the Nomura giants can dominate. </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-jellyfish-menace-09-11-19>[More]</a> Environment,Basic Science,Ecology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:06:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=why-do-human-testicles-hang-like-th-2009-11-19 <p> </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=why-do-human-testicles-hang-like-th-2009-11-19>[More]</a> Biology,Evolution Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:48:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=corn-genome-cracked <p>The complex corn genome--coming in at a hearty two billion base pairs (compared with the human genome's 2.9 billion base pairs)--has been mapped by more than 150 researchers, who worked for years to decipher the grain's genetic code . It's the most complicated plant genome to be deciphered to date and promises to increase the efficiency of the crop itself. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=corn-genome-cracked>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Evolution,Evolutionary Biology,Ecology,Biotechnology,Biotechnology,Energy Technology,Energy Technology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:48:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=flywheels-electricity-beacon-power <p> Beacon Power Corp. broke ground today on a 20-megawatt, energy-storage facility in southeastern New York. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=flywheels-electricity-beacon-power>[More]</a> Environment,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:21:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-fossils-reveal-a-worl <p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New fossils unearthed in what is now the Sahara desert reveal a once-swampy world</p> <p>divided up among a half-dozen species of unusual and perhaps intelligent crocodiles, researchers reported on Thursday.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-fossils-reveal-a-worl>[More]</a> Archaeology & Paleontology,Biology,Basic Science,Evolution,Evolutionary Biology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:07:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-puts-brakes-on-fusion-p <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-puts-brakes-on-fusion-p>[More]</a> Physics,Basic Science,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Energy Technology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:55:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=sound-during-sleep-fixes-learning-09-11-19 <p>There&rsquo;s nothing like a good nap. It can refresh your mood--and possibly your memory. Because a new study in the journal Science shows that a quick snooze after a mental workout helps to consolidate learning. And that sounds heard during sleep can trigger associations that sharpen memory even more. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=sound-during-sleep-fixes-learning-09-11-19>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Mind & Brain,Neuroscience,Thought & Cognition Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:32:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=51378257001 Astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis take a space walk to attach equipment to the International Space Station. Space,Space Exploration Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-daily-destruction <p> Dear EarthTalk: Do you have current facts and figures about how much rainforest is being destroyed each day around the world, and for what purpose(s)? --Teri, via e-mail </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-daily-destruction>[More]</a> Environment,History of Science,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Energy & Sustainability,Climate,Ecology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:18:57 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=51378256001 Nearly all destroyed in the war and subsequent violence, animals at Baghdad Zoo are now thriving and drawing more visitors than ever before. Biology,Basic Science,Science Education Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-humanlike-was-ardi <p>For such a petite creature, the 1.2-meter-tall &quot; Ardi &quot; ( Ardipithecus ramidus ) has made big waves in the paleoanthropology world. The momentous find--announced 15 years ago and formally described in Science this October--has deepened academic debates about when bipedalism evolved, what our last common ancestor with chimpanzees looked like, and how some ancient primates gave way to modern humans. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-humanlike-was-ardi>[More]</a> Archaeology & Paleontology,Biology,Everyday Science,Evolution,Evolutionary Biology,Thought & Cognition,Ethics Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=foreign-afflictions <p>Let us start with a little quiz. How many of these conditions have you heard of?</p><p> Taijin kyofusho , hikikomori , hwa-byung , or qi-gong psychotic reaction.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=foreign-afflictions>[More]</a> Biology,Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Evolutionary Biology,Language & Linguistics,Language & Linguistics,Psychiatry,Psychology,Thought & Cognition,Communications Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:09:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=skate-punkd-taxonomic-oops-put-rare-2009-11-18 <p> The common skate ( Dipturus batis ), a type of ray, isn't common at all. The rare fish species is already critically endangered , but now new research indicates that the common skate is actually two species , so both are more at risk than previously thought. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=skate-punkd-taxonomic-oops-put-rare-2009-11-18>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:31:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tracking-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-levels <p>The planet soaks up excess carbon dioxide via oceans, plants and soils, among other natural systems, locking away some of the greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels . In fact, every year these natural &quot;sinks&quot; absorb a larger and larger tonnage of emissions--but thanks to the increasing amount of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases dumped in the atmosphere by human activity, the proportion that is reabsorbed is beginning to dwindle, according to new studies. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tracking-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-levels>[More]</a> Chemistry,Environment,Technology,Society & Policy,Energy & Sustainability,Clean Air Policy,Climate Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:07:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=embarrassing-security-leaks-prompt-2009-11-18 <p> Peer-to-peer (P2P) networking has emerged as a vastly popular way for computer users to democratize the transfer of information, allowing faster and easier sharing of images, documents and other files without the need for a centralized server. Unfortunately, and ironically, P2P is a little too democratic for the U.S. government, which has been victimized several times by the public disclosure of sensitive documents via file-sharing networks. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=embarrassing-security-leaks-prompt-2009-11-18>[More]</a> Technology,Society & Policy,Communications,Computing,Consumer Electronics Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:31:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=illuminating-the-lilliputian-bioscapes-winners <p>We are approaching the millennial anniversary of the first meaningful written description of how lenses and light could be used to magnify objects. It was in 1011 that Arab scientist Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) began writing the Book of Optics , which described the properties of a magnifying glass, principles that later led to the invention of the microscope. The entrants in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition provide fitting tribute to nearly 1,000 years of making the invisible visible.</p><p>Optical microscopy, energized by generation after generation of technological advance, continues to furnish dazzling proof that beyond the resolution of the human eye resides a sweepingly large world of small things, both around and within us. The artistic beauty of the microcosm can be witnessed in these photographs of the beadlike band of toxin-carrying compartments on the tentacle of the Portuguese man-of-war, the gemlike quality of row on row of single-celled algae and the red-and-yellow patterning of a Triceratops bone, reminiscent of a loud necktie. A selection of winning and honorable mention images that particularly appealed to us at Scientific American follows.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=illuminating-the-lilliputian-bioscapes-winners>[More]</a> Environment,Physics,Technology,Everyday Science,Science Education,Medical Technology,Communications,Computing,Consumer Electronics,Energy Technology,Energy Technology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bioscapes-photo-15-honorable-mention <p>The entrants in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition provide fitting tribute to nearly 1,000 years of making the invisible visible. These 15 photos were our staff favorites from the &quot;Honorable Mentions&quot; winners, listed in alphabetical order by photographer.</p><p> &gt; 15 Scientific American Staff Selected Honorable Mentions <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bioscapes-photo-15-honorable-mention>[More]</a> Biology,Technology,Basic Science,Science Education,Biotechnology,Biotechnology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:29:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=beyond-the-still-bioscapes-contest-videos <p>The entrants in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition provide fitting tribute to nearly 1,000 years of making the invisible visible. These six videos include one winner and five Honorable Mentions.</p><!-- Start of Brightcove Player --> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=beyond-the-still-bioscapes-contest-videos>[More]</a> Biology,Chemistry,Health & Medicine,Technology,Basic Science,Science Education,Biotechnology,Biotechnology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:23:38 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=51161469001 Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday to deliver spare parts needed to keep the outpost operational after the shuttles' retirement next year. Space,Space Exploration Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091118/full/news.2009.1096.html <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091118/full/news.2009.1096.html>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy,Energy & Sustainability,Climate Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphene-flat-carbon <p>Graphene has been a hot topic in physics and materials science since its discovery five years ago . The sheets of carbon, just an atom thick, have a host of intriguing properties , including transparency, strength and a structure that lets electrons zip through almost unimpeded. Graphene's characteristics and near two-dimensionality recommend it for use in next-generation displays, electronics or structural composites , but like many materials du jour, it has yet to find applications on a significant scale. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphene-flat-carbon>[More]</a> Chemistry,Physics,Basic Science Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:01:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antarctic-temperature-spike-su <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antarctic-temperature-spike-su>[More]</a> Environment,Physics,Basic Science,Climate Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-varmints <p> Dear EarthTalk: What would you recommend as a non-toxic/non-lethal way to keep squirrels, gophers and groundhogs away? --Faye Gillette, Coarsegold, CA </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-varmints>[More]</a> Biology,Environment,History of Science,Everyday Science,Basic Science,Evolutionary Biology,Green Living,Thought & Cognition Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:55:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hiv-aids-controllers <p>More than half a million people in the U.S. have died from HIV infection , and more than a million currently live with the virus, but a relative handful of people infected with HIV never get treatment for it and never get sick from it. The immune systems of this small population--perhaps 50,000 Americans--somehow control the virus for long periods of time. Of course, there is typically a bell curve of response to any disease, but figuring out how these people control the virus is one of the most vexing mysteries of the AIDS pandemic . Solving it might unlock new ways to prevent and treat HIV infection, and now several research teams are going after the answer. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=hiv-aids-controllers>[More]</a> Health & Medicine,Society & Policy,Infectious Diseases Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:48:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=nasa-mars-rover-spirit-2009-11-18 <p> A NASA rover mired in soft soil on Mars made its first escape attempt in months Tuesday, but the maneuver lasted less than a second before safety precautions shut it down. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=nasa-mars-rover-spirit-2009-11-18>[More]</a> Space,Technology,Space Exploration Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:42:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=tree-ring-science-and-tomorrows-wat-09-11-18 <p>Tree ring expert Kevin Anchukaitis, of the tree ring lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of Columbia University&rsquo;s Earth Institute, talks about the information available in tree rings. And Colin Chartres, the director general of the International Water Management Institute, talks to Lynn Peeples about water issues. Plus, we test your knowledge of some recent science in the news, specifically the November issue of Scientific American magazine. Web sites related to this episode include http://snipurl.com/sciamwater ; http://snipurl.com/sciamnov </p><p> The transcript of this podcast wil be posted in two to three weeks. </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=tree-ring-science-and-tomorrows-wat-09-11-18>[More]</a> Environment,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Energy & Sustainability,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Alternative Energy Technology,Climate,Green Living,Energy Technology,Energy Technology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=language-skills-and-reading-minds <p>What&rsquo;s this guy thinking? Does he know what I know? Most of us develop the ability to make inferences about what other people might be thinking, the hallmark of &ldquo;theory of mind,&rdquo; at age four. Scientists have long known that the acquisition of language plays a role in this process, but so far it had been unclear whether social experience could substitute for it. A new study suggests it cannot.</p><p>Jennie Pyers of Wellesley College and her colleagues studied deaf adults in Nicaragua. Some of the participants had learned an early, rudimentary form of Nicaraguan sign language (NSL), whereas others were fluent in a more sophisticated form of NSL that in&shy;cluded mental state terms, such as &ldquo;know&rdquo; and &ldquo;think.&rdquo; Pyers and her team had all signers undergo a so-called false-belief test in which signers looked at a sequence of pictures showing two boys playing in a room and storing a toy underneath a bed. After one of the boys leaves the room, the other moves the toy to a different location. Study participants then had to choose between two pictures to complete the series: the first showed the returning boy looking for the toy in its original location on reentering the room, and the second showed him looking in its new location.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=language-skills-and-reading-minds>[More]</a> Mind & Brain,Mind & Brain,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Language & Linguistics,Language & Linguistics,Thought & Cognition,Communications Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:12:08 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=pharaohs-had-heart-disease-09-11-18 <p>You've probably heard the expression &ldquo;a heart attack on a plate.&rdquo; Maybe it&rsquo;s fettuccini alfredo. Or maybe it&rsquo;s a bacon cheeseburger, covered in batter and deep fried to artery-clogging perfection. Either way, it's clear that our modern diet is not always the most cardio-friendly. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean that heart disease is a recent invention. Because a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that some Egyptian mummies show signs of atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=pharaohs-had-heart-disease-09-11-18>[More]</a> Archaeology & Paleontology,Health & Medicine,Health & Medicine Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:13:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=largest-east-coast-community-owned-2009-11 <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=largest-east-coast-community-owned-2009-11>[More]</a> Energy & Sustainability Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:25:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=government-panel-recommends-fewer-a-2009-11-17 <p> Most women would do fine to hold off until age 50 for their first mammograms and skip self-exams for breast lumps altogether, according to new government recommendations released Monday that came as a surprise to many in the medical community--and women in general. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=government-panel-recommends-fewer-a-2009-11-17>[More]</a> Biology,Health & Medicine,Medical Technology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:36:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=hackers-indicted-for-12-hour-atm-at-2009-11-17 <p> One year after pulling off one of the most audacious cyber crimes in history --a 12-hour spree during which more than 2,100 cash-dispensing machines in at least 280 cities on three continents were drained of a total of more than $9 million--a group of hackers is facing dozens of years in prison and millions of dollars in fines. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=hackers-indicted-for-12-hour-atm-at-2009-11-17>[More]</a> Technology,Communications,Computing Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:21:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=will-solar-thermal-heat-up-again-2009-11-17 <p> Editor's Note: Scientific American 's George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels in Solar at Home (formerly 60-Second Solar). Read his introduction here and see all posts here . </p><p> It used to be that the term &quot;solar panel&quot; connoted a solar thermal panel, which uses sunlight to heat your house or tap water, as opposed to a photovoltaic (PV) panel, which produces electric power. These days, though, attention (not to mention sunlight) focuses on PV. Many people assume that solar hot water heaters are all well and good for, say, Israel , but ill-suited to high-latitude, cloudy, snowy climes such as the U.S. Northeast. But Scott Wilson of Olney, Md., begs to differ.</p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=will-solar-thermal-heat-up-again-2009-11-17>[More]</a> Technology,Energy,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Green Living,Energy Technology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:31:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=more-important-than-copenhagen-us-c-2009-11-17 <p> When the presidents of the two nations that are responsible for 40 percent of Earth's climate-changing greenhouse gases sit down to talk, big things can happen. In the case of Barack Obama and Hu Jintao on Monday and Tuesday, that meant flatly stating that emission reduction targets should be set at an international negotiation on climate change in Copenhagen this December, along with financial assistance figures to help poorer countries mitigate emissions and adapt to a changing climate. Oh, and the world should cut back on deforestation. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=more-important-than-copenhagen-us-c-2009-11-17>[More]</a> Chemistry,Environment,Technology,Society & Policy,Energy,What's Next,Everyday Science,Energy & Sustainability,Alternative Energy Technology,Clean Air Policy,Climate,Automotive Technology,Energy Technology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:22:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=biologists-rally-to-sequence-n <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=biologists-rally-to-sequence-n>[More]</a> Biology,Health & Medicine,Biotechnology,Biotechnology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-bedbugs <p> Dear EarthTalk: Why are bed bugs a big issue right now? Where do they come from and what real harm do they do? Are there non-toxic ways of dealing with them? --Harper H., Newburyport, MA </p> <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talks-bedbugs>[More]</a> Biology,Health & Medicine,Society & Policy,Everyday Science,Infectious Diseases,Pharmaceuticals Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=the-american-medical-association-ea-2009-11-17 <p> The Obama administration announced last month that people who buy or sell medical marijuana in the growing number of states that have decriminalized its therapeutic usage should not be targeted for arrest or prosecution by federal authorities. Now, the American Medical Association (AMA) has called for the federal government to go one step further in easing restrictions, the Los Angeles Times reported last week . <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=the-american-medical-association-ea-2009-11-17>[More]</a> Health & Medicine,Mind & Brain,Addiction & Recovery Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nanotechnology-silver-nanoparticles-fish-malformation <p>Smaller than a virus and used in more than 200 consumer products, silver nanoparticles can kill and mutate fish embryos, new research shows.</p><p>Tiny particles of silver &ndash;&nbsp; potent anti-microbial agents that can kill bacteria on contact &ndash;&nbsp; are becoming increasingly popular in consumer goods, including washing machines, refrigerators, clothing and toys. <a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nanotechnology-silver-nanoparticles-fish-malformation>[More]</a> Environment,Energy & Sustainability,Ecology,Medical Technology