Science News

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:24:33 EST

N.M. Cavers Chart Unique 'Snowy' River of Crystals

FORT STANTON CAVE, N.M.—Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. ...

from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fish Hum, Grunt, and Growl to Get their Message Across

Scientists have studied animal communication for decades. Now, for the first time, a research team has traced the underlying neurobiology that makes the fish talk possible. ...

from the Christian Scientist Monitor

Victor A. McKusick, 86; Johns Hopkins Physician Pioneered Genetics Research

Dr. Victor A. McKusick, the Johns Hopkins University physician who is widely regarded as the father of medical genetics, died Tuesday at his home in Baltimore. He was 86 and died of complications from cancer. ...

from the Los Angeles Times (registration required)

Scientists Recover Complete Dinosaur Skeleton

TOKYO (AP)—Japanese and Mongolian scientists have successfully recovered the complete skeleton of a 70-million-year-old young dinosaur, a nature museum announced Thursday. ...

from the Oregonian

Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks

PITTSBURGH—The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. ...

from San Diego Tribune

Health: Soya-based Foods May Harm Male Fertility, Say Scientists

Men who eat soya-based foods may be harming their fertility, doctors said yesterday, after a study found a link between soya-rich diets and lower sperm counts. ...

from the Guardian

Manned Spaceship Design Unveiled

The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. ...

from BBC News Online

Gassing Up With Garbage

After years of false starts, a new industry selling motor fuel made from waste is getting a big push in the United States, with the first commercial sales possible within months. ...

from the New York Times (registration required)

A letter regarding Brian Hayes's review of Digital Dice

A letter regarding Peter Andrews's of A New Human

A letter regarding Frank von Hippel's review of Plutonium

A letter regarding Susan Cutter's review of The Next Catastrophe

A letter regarding Robert Levine's review of The Lucifer Effect

A letter regarding Jill North's review of Concepts of Simultaneity

Drug for Deadly Prostate Cancer

Scientists are hailing a new drug to treat aggressive prostate cancer as potentially the most significant advance in the field for 70 years. ...

from the BBC News Online

Why the Oil Crunch May Grow Worse

With gasoline and oil costing once-unthinkable barrels of cash, the notion that things in our petroleum-addicted world soon will get worse-maybe much, much worse-is spreading fast. ...

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

"Pharmed" Vaccine Passes Early Test

A team of researchers has completed human tests of the first plant-produced vaccine for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The successful results of a phase I clinical trial suggest that plants could provide a safe, inexpensive reservoir to "grow" vaccines for the common human cancer, according to a study published ... in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...

from the Scientist (Registration Required)

Mexican Resorts Destroying Mangroves, Dooming Fisheries

The loss of Mexico's coastal mangrove forests to development is threatening the country's multimillion-dollar fishing industry, according to a new study. ...

from National Geographic News

Mirrors Don't Lie. Mislead? Oh, Yes.

...To scientists, the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of mirrors make them powerful tools for exploring questions about perception and cognition in humans and other neuronally gifted species. ...

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

Nearly 900 Species Discovered in Smokies During 10-Year Project

ASHEVILLE, NC—A project documenting all living creatures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has led to the discovery of nearly 900 new species, furthering science, education and public interest in conservation, a group of panelists testified Monday. ...

from the Asheville Citizen-Times