February 1, 2007
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmBrief Points, February 2007
▪ An ancient Greek “computer,” the Antikythera, could predict eclipses, count lunar cycles and probably represent the motions of the planets, among other celestial tracking tasks, according to new imaging of the corroded interior.
Nature, November 30, 2006
▪ A gene from a wild cousin could boost domesticated wheat’s protein, zinc and iron content by 10 to 15 percent. The gene accelerates the plant’s maturity, speeding the transfer of nutrients from leaves to grain.
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Science, November 24, 2006
▪ Extinction “vortex”: An economic model finds that placing a species on an endangered list might cause its value to ratchet up and speed its disappearance, thanks to the human thirst for rarity.
PLoS Biology, November 28, 2006
▪ Hysteria in the medical sense may be real. Otherwise healthy patients who complained of limb numbness showed no appropriate brain activity when the numb appendage was stimulated, suggesting an underlying neurological defect.
Neurology, December 12, 2006
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