Science in the News Weekly

H1N1: 'It Doesn't Look Like Transmission Is Declining at All'

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:21:00 EST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated last week that at least 1 million Americans have now contracted the H1N1 flu virus. Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its spread through the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Selective Predation May Account for Deformed Frogs

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:18:00 EST

It has been one of the most controversial environmental issues of the past decade. Around the world, frogs were found with missing or misshapen limbs. A new study suggests that dragonfly nymphs, rather than chemical pollution, may be to blame. ...

An Ancient Flute, Early Cherokee, Stolen Bones

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:14:00 EST

A bird-bone flue found in a German cave is the oldest hand-crafted musical instrument ever discovered, archaeologists reported last week. They said it indicates that early Europeans had developed a complex and creative culture some 35,000 years ago. ...

Enceladus Contains 'Feedstock' for Life, Cassini Finds

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:11:00 EST

Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus may be one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. Scientists reported last week that the Cassini spacecraft had found strong evidence for liquid water on the moon. ...

New Nuke-Sniffing Machines Only a Marginal Improvement

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:10:00 EST

Last week a report from the National Research Council found that new radiation detection machines the government has been developing to find smuggled nuclear materials at ports are only marginally better than existing monitors and would cost more than twice as much. ...

Science at the Top of the News for June 22-26

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:07:00 EST

A new study that found the human family is divided into just three genetic groups was the most viewed item last week by subscribers to Science in the News Daily. The other top two articles featured an exploration of America's eugenics legacy and a study suggesting that e-mails can provide advance warning of an organization in crisis. Subscribe now for free daily updates.

Sleep News in Seattle

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:17:00 EST

Research presented last week in Seattle at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies explored how sleep affects health, relationships and decision-making. As one researcher put it, "Sleep is related to everything." ...

EPA Declares Medical Emergency in Two Montana Towns

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:57:00 EST

In environmental news last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared its first-ever "public health emergency" in the towns of Libby and Troy, Montana, where people have been sickened by asbestos from a local mine. ...

Tracking Foods' Origins Electronically

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:38:00 EST

With the help of cheap cell phone and Internet access, barcodes on foods at the market could soon allow consumers and food safety experts to track food quickly and reliably from farm to shopping basket. ...

The Puzzling Nature of Life

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:59:00 EST

The mystery of life's origins was explored in a couple of articles last week. The New York Times pondered why, if life can arise from inorganic matter, scientists have been unable to reconstruct it in the laboratory. ...

Eventful Days for the American Space Agency

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:57:00 EST

A week of ups and downs for NASA included the successful launch of two lunar probes that will pave the way for the return of U.S. astronauts to the moon and the delay of the space shuttle launch until July, due to a hydrogen leak. ...

Science at the Top of the News for June 15-19

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:55:00 EST

The most viewed item last week by subscribers to Science in the News Daily concerned a large prehistoric ceremonial site discovered in southern England that's estimated to be 1,000 years older than nearby Stonehenge. The other top two articles examined the potential perils of homeopathic drugs and a controversial new theory that ocean currents may generate Earth's magnetic field. Subscribe now for free daily updates.

Hurricanes Trigger Earthquakes

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:39:00 EST

Earthquakes in Taiwan are frequent but rarely violent. Last week researchers reported the surprise discovery that typhoons set off the slow tremors. ...

Maggot Extract Heals Wounds

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:36:00 EST

For centuries, doctors have used maggots to remove decaying tissue from wounds. Now researchers report that they have found the maggot enzyme that does the trick, and they hope to incorporate it into wound-healing bandages or gels. ...

New "Missing Link" Found?

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:35:00 EST

Is Ida truly last month's news? An 11.9 million-year-old fossil with a "surprisingly human" face has been found in Spain, suggesting that human's ape ancestors split from primitive apes in Europe, not Africa. Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Paleontology in Barcelona reported that the species, Anoiapithecus brevirostris, may also represent the last known common ancestor of humans and living great apes. ...

Bright Future for Solar Power

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:32:00 EST

Despite the gloom of the world's economy, officials at the Solar Energy Industries Association are declaring a bright new day for their industry. With consumer incentives, the introduction of federal stimulus funds and a propitious political climate, they claim that the future for solar power is more than bright. As an example, some homeowners are expected to be able to quickly recoup savings from their solar systems, a longtime industry goal. ...

Losing Sight of the Milky Way

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST

With increasing light pollution, one-fifth of the world's population—mostly in mainland Europe, Britain and the United States—has lost its ability to see the Milky Way in the night sky. Presenting her research last Wednesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Connie Walker reported that the phenomenon, caused by the reflection of manmade light by the Earth's atmosphere, impacts astronomical research and can even affect human health. ...

Science at the Top of the News for June 8-12

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:41:00 EST

The most viewed item last week by subscribers to Science in the News Daily concerned two new studies shedding light on déjà vu and "tip-of-the-tongue" experiences. The other top two articles focused on the end of the biofuels boom in the American Northwest and a mysterious inscribed slate tablet discovered in Jamestown, Virginia. Subscribe now for free daily updates.

Vaccine Shows Promise Against Lymphoma

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:04:00 EST

Researchers at a cancer conference in Orlando, Fla., said that a cancer vaccine that rallies the immune system kept a common form of lymphoma from worsening for more than a year. Experimental vaccines against three other cancers—prostate, melanoma and neuroblastoma—also gave positive results in late-stage testing in recent weeks. ...

Device Harvests 'Human Power' Spent in Walking

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:03:00 EST

Canadian researchers have developed a battery called the Bionic Energy Harvester that captures energy with each step that its wearer takes. They say one minute of walking can generate enough power for 10 minutes on a cell phone. ...