March 1, 2011

1 min read

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News Scan

By George Hackett

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Genius

  • Researchers make progress on a new test that can pick up a single cancer cell in a sample of blood, potentially improving detection and treatment.

  • Evidence mounts that the U.S. and Israel are behind a computer worm that appears to have set back Iran’s nuclear program.

  • The placebo effect works even when patients know they are receiving a placebo. Note to health insurers: cover sugar pills.

  • Women’s emotional tears may contain a chemical that reduces male sexual arousal. “Not tonight, dear, I’m watching Terms of Endearment.”

  • Thousands of dead birds dropped from the skies in the U.S., Sweden and Italy in unrelated incidents. A sign of the apocalypse ... or a slow news period?

  • The last rolls of Kodachrome film, beloved for its rich colors, were developed in a lab in Kansas. Its complex process and digital cameras spelled its doom.

Folly

More by George Hackett
Scientific American Magazine Vol 304 Issue 3This article was published with the title “News Scan” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 304 No. 3 (), p. 15
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0311-15b
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