Science in the News Weekly is a digest of science news stories appearing in the mainstream media. It is delivered every Monday afternoon (or Tuesday afternoon in the case of a Monday holiday) as part of Sigma Xi's public understanding of science program area, in conjunction with American Scientist magazine.

Science at the Top of the News for March 1-5

The most viewed news item last week by subscribers to Science in the News Daily was about a study that looked at whether liberals are more intelligent than conservatives. The other top items involved a new book about how the hidden brain controls our lives and whether depression bestows some evolutionary advantages. Subscribe now for free daily updates.

Global Warming, Evolution and Science Education

The New York Times reported last week that the foes of evolution are linking the topic to global warming, arguing that dissenting views on both subjects should be taught in public schools.

Meanwhile, scientists say they don't know the full implications of the discovery that the powerful greenhouse gas methane is bubbling up from the once-frozen seabed north of Siberia, but some are concerned that release of the gas could ramp up global warming.

Many climate researchers have come to the conclusion that, given the rising tide of public opinion, they can't afford to just ride out recent stormy controversies over climate science. They have begun to engage their critics and reshape the way they conduct research.

In other news, National Geographic looked into why the tsunamis associated with the recent massive earthquake in Chile were so much smaller than anticipated.

A startling new study found that male frogs exposed to the herbicide atrazine, commonly found in U.S. waterways, can transform into females so completely that they can mate with other males and lay eggs.

And federal regulators say the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by the Clean Water Act, giving rise to increased water pollution nationwide.

Internet Data Carving New Channels

Last week the New York Times looked at whether the practice known as peering could change the fundamental shape of the Internet.

In other technology news, microsensor science has steadily advanced to the point that new devices known as "e-noses" could soon be available that can detect substances on the breeze in the parts-per-trillion range.

Meanwhile, the Economist considered what we are to do with all the data that's being amassed. The sheer volume of it makes it possible to do many things that couldn't be done before, but also has created new problems.

And a new approach to solving the distance problem in driving electric cars includes a whole new concept for freeways as well. The project, called "Speedway," has been put forth by a student in Germany.

Family Portraits, an Ancient Polar Bear, the Dinosaurs' End

Smithsonian Magazine featured the work of "paleo-artist" John Gurche, who has re-created the faces of our early ancestors for a new exhibit opening this month at the National Museum of Natural History.

In other news of the ancient past, scientists say that inscribed ostrich shell fragments found in South Africa, dating to about 60,000 years ago, are among the earliest examples of the use of symbolism by modern humans.

The New York Times reported that many biologists are now seeing the role of culture in evolution in a different light. It seems that for the past 20,000 years or so, people may have been inadvertently shaping their own evolution.

Scientists have uncovered the remains of the most ancient polar bear ever found. DNA analyses reveal that the bear lived about 120,000 years ago and represents an evolutionary snapshot of one species turning into another.

And, finally, after the most wide-ranging analysis yet, an international team of scientists has strongly endorsed evidence that a space impact caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

On the Moon, 600 Million Tonnes of Ice

It was reported last week that India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft detected thick deposits of water-ice near the moon's north pole in more than 40 small craters.

In other space news, satellite images that allow assessment of drought conditions have led to the novel development of weather-indexed insurance for cattle herders in northern Kenya, in an effort to help fend off poverty.

In a new study, astronomers have discovered how stars drag swirling gases toward a galaxy's center until they get sucked in by black holes.

Scientists have also found that the gamma-ray fog that fills the cosmos is even more of a mystery than anticipated. It turns out that black hole jets, thought to be the source of all or most of the radiation, account for only about 30 percent of it.

And cosmologist Craig Hogan has some mind-boggling ideas about a noise he believes is generated by a minuscule graininess in the otherwise smooth structure of spacetime. If his hunch is right, it could mean that the entire universe is nothing more than a giant hologram.

Biomedicine: Food-borne Disease, Gut Bacteria and Real-Time Protein Folding

A former Food and Drug Administration economist last week estimated that food-borne illnesses in the U.S. cost $152 billion annually, or an average of $1,850 each time someone gets sick from food.

In other biomedical news, the American Cancer Society recommended that men should think twice before getting screened for prostate cancer because the blood test can give false positives.

Meanwhile, an international team of researchers published a catalog of the millions of genes found in human gut microbes, and has begun to identify differences in the bacterial genes present in healthy versus chronically sick people.

In a biomedical first, biologists have peered into living cells and watched proteins folding—something they could previously observe only in vitro. The new technique could improve drug screening and provide insights to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Finally, the Boston Globe looked at two new studies that fuel the controversy over whether young athletes should routinely be given electrocardiograms to screen for subtle but potentially fatal heart conditions.

Nobrow Cartoons by Mark Heath

Nobrow Cartoons

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