In the News
Smallpox Evolved Earlier Than Believed, According To Molecular Clock A
Smallpox is older than previously thought. Researchers created a molecular clock by looking at the rate of random mutations in the smallpox-causing virus collected in 47 locations around the world, from 1946 -- 1977. The variation between the strains was compared to sequences from the most similar animal poxes. The results indicated that a mild and more severe strain diverged either 16,000 or 68,000 years before present, depending on whether accounts from East Asia or Africa are used to calibrate the molecular clock. In either case, this divergence stretches further back in time than previously believed. Ultrafast Lasers Take 'Snapshots' As Atoms Collide
Using laser pulses that last just 70 femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second), physicists have observed in greater detail than ever before what happens when atoms collide. The experiments at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, confirm a decades-old theory of how atoms -- like tennis balls -- briefly lose form and energy when they hit something. Techniques Available To Detect Soil That Inhibits Destructive Soybean
Identification of soils that inhibit a tiny soybean-destroying organism is an important tool in reducing yield losses, according to a Purdue University plant pathologist. Intute Spotlight for February
The latest physical science news from David Bradley can also be found on the intute portal under the Spotlight. This month:Shedding light on a molecular lockLogic at the molecular scale has been exploited to build a keypad lock that “opens” only when the correct sequence of inputs is applied. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of [...] Weekend Labor Shortage: More Babies Born During The Week As Caesarean
Two new studies show that as the number of elective caesarean sections rises, more babies are born during the week and fewer come into the world at weekends. It appears that hospitals schedule births during the week when they are fully resourced and staff is working 'normal'hours at no extra cost. 'Where Do I Know You From?'Recognition Shows Distinct Memory Processes
New research suggests that the sometimes eerie feeling experienced when recognizing someone, yet failing to remember how or why, reveals important insight into how memory is wired in the human brain. A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State
The report from a survey in December 2005 that concluded "immediate action is needed to prevent the loss of millions of irreplaceable artifacts"in libraries and museums. Areas of concern included permanent damage to items, lack of emergency planning, and conservation staffing. Also includes links to related information. From the Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Scientists Unpick Genetics Of First 15 Minutes Of Life
Scientists have identified the gene responsible for controlling a first key step in the creation of new life, according to new research. The gene, known as HIRA, 'chaperones' the early processes that take place once a sperm enters an egg, giving it a crucial role in the most fundamental process in sexually reproducing animals. The absence or mutation of this gene in the maternal (mother's) genome explains why eggs fail to produce a zygote -- or early embryo - despite the presence of 'healthy' sperm. [Scary] Pregnant woman says 'maternal instinct' helped her kill attack
FORT MITCHELL, Ky. - A pregnant woman who killed her attacker said a maternal instinct helped her fight off the woman who investigators believe was after her unborn child."I do believe that I fought harder because it was for my child,"Sarah Brady told ABC's "Good Morning America"in interviews aired Sunday and Monday. "It is a maternal instinct to protect your child to the very end."Katherine Smith, 22, died Thursday after luring Brady to her apartment to pick up a package supposedly delivered to the wrong address. When Smith pulled out a knife and attacked the pregnant woman, Brady fought back, striking Smith on the head with an ash tray and stabbing her three times with her own knife, police said. Brady, 26, said she didn't know Smith before the two met at Smith's apartment and can't be certain why Smith wanted to kill her."I really am not sure what was going through her mind,"Brady told ABC. "The only thing I thought was that she was going to kill me and my child and that is the only thing that ran through my mind." Ice Core 'Dipstick' Indicates West Antarctic Ice Has Thinned Less Than
In a new study led by University of Washington researchers, an ice core of 1,000 meters was used as a sort of dipstick to show that a key section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet probably never contained as much ice as scientists originally thought it did. That means it couldn't have contributed as much to the higher sea level.
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