Scientific American

Tennessee physicist sentenced to 4 years for sharing drone plans with foreign students

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:00 EST

John Reece Roth, 71, a prominent plasma physicist was sentenced to four years in prison for 18 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and violations of the Arms Export Control Act, after he allowed a Chinese graduate student to see sensitive information on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. [More]

Some Species Rebound, But More Become Endangered

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EST

The global crisis for endangered species is more serious than the financial meltdown, with numbers of imperiled animals and plants rising at record rates, scientists are warning in a report released today.

In its latest four-year assessment of endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has added several new entries to the Red List of Threatened Species. Judging from the list's expansion, the report warns, the world is unlikely to meet a goal of reversing a trend toward species depletion by 2010.

[More]

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter snaps its first images of the moon

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EST

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which reached its destination just last week, is already showing its stuff.

The space agency switched on the LRO's cameras two days ago and today released the first images from the orbiter's mission, which is intended to pave the way for the return of astronauts to the moon. [More]

Green Dam Web filter delayed, but not dropped

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST

Although China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) earlier this week granted PC makers a reprieve from having to include the Green Dam-Youth Escort Internet filtering software with every PC sold in the country, the government today made clear that it's only a matter of time before the mandate is reinstated. [More]

Desert plant plucks water from thin air

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST

The arid Negev Desert in southern Israel is no match for the desert rhubarb, which plant researchers say has found a unique way to water itself. [More]

Higher temperatures may be shrinking Scottish sheep

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST

Bigger had always been better for sheep living on the remote, windswept Scottish island of Hirta. [More]

Puffins fitted with "sat-nav"

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:49:03 EST

Puffins are being fitted with GPS devices similar to those used in satellite navigation to find why their numbers are down in a key British breeding colony.

Pint-sized fighter planes

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:48:45 EST

Model aircraft enthusiasts converge on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel, for the International Jet World Masters Championship.

Ant colony crosses continents

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST

Those ants crawling across your picnic table this weekend might be members of a massive, transnational ant mafia, recently reported by researchers in Japan and Spain. [More]

Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human Health

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

From cell phones and computers to bicycle helmets and hospital IV bags, plastic has molded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. But the synthetic material also has left harmful imprints on the environment and perhaps human health, according to a new compilation of articles authored by scientists from around the world.

More than 60 scientists contributed to the new report, which aims to present the first comprehensive review of the impact of plastics on the environment and human health, and offer possible solutions.

[More]

Why haven't we evolved eyes in the backs of our heads?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST

As much as we might appreciate the value of detecting predators that approach from behind--or of keeping an eye on the offspring who follow us--it is important to remember that selection is not directed toward the development or formation of anything, let alone “perfect” organs. In other words, just because some feature seems like a good idea, random mutation and selection will not necessarily fashion it.

Body parts that enable us to detect the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, temperature and tactile elements of our environment did not arise from some master plan or blueprint. Rather selection crafted body parts from available components of cells and tissues within existing forms of life, molding ancient and intermediate versions of sensory cells and organs--each elegant in its own right--like lumps of clay over aeons into the shape and form of our modern bodies. There have never been perfectly formed organs for sight or hearing--just versions that get the job done.

[More]

Do Brain Trainer Games and Software Work?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST

The market for brain-training software continues to grow, but evidence of the programs’ ability to boost memory or intelligence in a broadly applicable way (rather than simply making people better at the task they are practicing) remains scarce. New studies offer a tantalizing suggestion that certain programs may work--but the bulk of the research is murky.

Neuroscientist Peter Snyder of Brown University reviewed nearly 20 software studies and concluded that, as a group, they were underwhelming. They are marred by flaws that induce confounding factors, such as a lack of control groups and follow-up, Snyder warns. More than a third of those he reviewed were too shoddy even to include in the analysis he printed early this year in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “You’d be surprised at what gets published,” he says. Although some products claimed to treat dementia, Snyder did not find any evidence to back such claims.

[More]

Turbines Spin in Antarctica

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST

Wind energy is being harnessed everywhere, even Antarctica. [More]

How Do Stress Fractures Develop?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST

Considering the forces involved in many sports, it's no surprise that professional athletes sustain serious injuries to their muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones. A spate of bone fracture–related injuries seems to be dogging professional teams this year. The Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association lost seven-time all-star Tracy McGrady to season-ending microfracture surgery in February. And on Monday, Rocket’s team physician Tom Clanton announced in the Houston Chronicle that all-star center Yao Ming's fractured foot, which he sustained in a play-off game against the Los Angeles Lakers in May, has worsened over time and may end his career. The possibility that New York Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran might have a microfractured knee turned fans and fantasy baseball owners into nervous wrecks. Such an injury ended the career of NBA star Jamal Mashburn.

So how do these fractures develop? And why can they have such impact on athletes' careers, in some cases forcing players into early retirement? To find out, we turned to Howard Palamarchuk, a former Olympic-class race walker who is the director of sports medicine at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.

[More]

Rain Zone Moving North

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:08 EST

[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]

If you’ve spoken to anyone in New York City--where Scientific American’s offices are--then you’ve heard about the rain, every day since mid-June.

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The Wonderful World of Transgenic Animals

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:08 EST

[Below is the original script. But a few changes may have been made during the recording of this audio podcast.]

Since Dolly the sheep was cloned back in July of 1996, the world of manipulating animal DNA has come a long way. In Massachusetts, goats now produce milk with drugs embedded. There are monkeys whose DNA glows green to enable scientific study. [More]

Perennial problems loom large for threatened species

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:01:00 EST

Forget about climate change for a moment, the biggest threats to the world’s imperiled species are deforestation, pollution, poaching and invasive species.

[More]

Bald eagles succumb to poison in rat eradication on Alaskan island

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:47:00 EST

Last month we reported on bald eagles and other birds found dead after a rat eradication project in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., has confirmed that the birds were casualties of brodifacoum, the poison used in bait scattered around Rat Island by helicopter.

“Every one of the liver samples tested positive for brodifacoum,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Bruce Woods told Scientific American. Fish and Wildlife law enforcement agents are investigating whether there were any egregious errors and to assess that the poison drop was conducted according to an approved protocol, Woods said.

[More]

DNA Sudoku

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:00 EST

A 2,000-year-old math theorem, along with Sudoku, may soon help researchers untangle DNA at blazing speeds. [More]

Happy birthday, Walkman! You don't sound a day over 30

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:30:00 EST

On this day three decades ago, Sony's original blue-and-silver Walkman went on sale in Japan, launching an era of personal, portable music and generations of oblivious subway riders and pedestrians. [More]

Chestnut's Revival Could Slow Climate Change

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:20:00 EST

The American chestnut tree, which towered over eastern U.S. forests before succumbing to a deadly fungus in the early 20th century, appears to be an excellent sponge for greenhouse gases, according to a new study. [More]

Catch you later, BlackBerry-toting skier

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:26:00 EST

Advances in memory and processing power have transformed mobile phones from bricklike boxes to gadgets about the size of a deck of cards. [More]

Indonesia gets debt relief for preserving Sumatran forests

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:30:00 EST

The United States has agreed to cut what Indonesia owes Uncle Sam by nearly $30 million over eight years in exchange for increased protection of Sumatran forests that are home to endangered rhinos, tigers and orangutans.

This debt-for-nature deal, orchestrated by Conservation International and the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, creates a trust to preserve 18.29 million acres, including Way Kambas National Park.

[More]

Band of Bots Don't Play Musical Instruments--They Are the Instruments

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST

GuitarBot couldn't keep a tune. "It's too high at the top, and too low at the bottom," Michael Hearst complained as he hopped onto the platform, giving the tuning knob a hopeful quarter-turn. But when he climbed down again and hit a button on his keyboard, the mechanical bridge slid back up the track, thumbing a note before wailing off-pitch once again.

[More]

Space shuttle Endeavour's hydrogen leak appears fixed

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:58:00 EST

Will the third time be a charm for space shuttle Endeavour? NASA successfully tested a troublesome gas-venting system this morning, green-lighting the twice-delayed launch of the shuttle to the International Space Station. [More]

Why Didn't Earth Freeze Completely?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:08 EST

[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]

During the last ice age our problem was too little carbon. Unlike today where too much carbon is causing global warming.

[More]

Astronomers Size Up a Candidate for Midsize Black Hole

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:01:00 EST

Black holes vary greatly in size, from relatively small ones several times the mass of the sun, which are born of collapsed stars, to supermassive lurkers like the one at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, with the mass of about four million suns. [More]

Pedophiles, Hebephiles, and Ephebophiles, Oh My: Erotic Age Orientation

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST

Michael Jackson probably wasn’t a pedophile--at least, not in the strict, biological sense of the word. It’s a morally loaded term, pedophile, that has become synonymous with the very basest of evils. (In fact it’s hard to even say it aloud without cringing, isn’t it?) But according to sex researchers, it’s also a grossly misused term. [More]

Save the giant spitting earthworm

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:56:00 EST

The three-foot long, giant Palouse earthworm has only been seen a few times in the last century, for which many people are probably grateful. [More]

Musician Michael Hearst and the LemurBots

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:36:38 EST

Michael Hearst of the band One Ring Zero records his next solo album with a little help from the LemurBots

Musician Michael Hearst and the LemurBots

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:36:38 EST

Michael Hearst of the band One Ring Zero records his next solo album with a little help from the LemurBots

Fit Body, Fit Mind? Your Workout Makes You Smarter

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:05:00 EST

As everybody knows, if you do not work out, your muscles get flaccid. What most people don’t realize, however, is that your brain also stays in better shape when you exercise. And not just challenging your noggin by, for example, learning a new language, doing difficult crosswords or taking on other intellectually stimulating tasks. As researchers are finding, physical exercise is critical to vigorous mental health, too.

Surprised? Although the idea of exercising cognitive machinery by performing mentally demanding activities--popularly termed the “use it or lose it” hypothesis--is better known, a review of dozens of studies shows that maintaining a mental edge requires more than that. Other things you do--including participating in activities that make you think, getting regular exercise, staying socially engaged and even having a positive attitude--have a meaningful influence on how effective your cognitive functioning will be in old age.

[More]

Coral Fights Antibiotic Resistance

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:02:00 EST

Several years ago biochemists studying marine ecosystems noticed something unusual: a sponge thriving in the middle of a coral reef that was dying from a bacterial infection. The researchers identified a substance made by the sponge that defended it from harmful microbes and realized it was a natural antibacterial molecule called ageliferin. Ageliferin can break down the formation of a protective biofilm coating that bacteria use to shield themselves from threats, including antibiotic drugs.

Now a team of researchers at North Carolina State University is using the natural compound to create innovative ways to fight drug-resistant bacteria. The researchers have recently tweaked the structure of ageliferin to make it more potent and formulated it to help conventional medications combat otherwise drug-resistant bacteria, such as staph and cholera. “Our chemical doesn’t stop the bugs from proliferating. It just allows the antibiotic to work again,” says Christian Melander, a chemistry professor at the university who was part of the effort.

[More]

Pump Your Brain--And Other Stories from MIND

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST

Cognitive-enhancement drugs have been in the headlines a great deal lately--they stoke your gray matter, enabling greater focus and attention for longer periods of time, users say. But their long-term effects are uncertain and unknown, on both brain and body. In the meantime, there’s something you can do that helps both areas but that doesn’t have any known mental health risks. As study after study has shown, simple physical activity not only builds your physique and cardiovascular health: it also helps to sharpen the wetware in your skull and thwarts mental decline as you advance in years. Check out our feature story, “Fit Body, Fit Mind?” by psychologist Christopher Hertzog and his colleagues. You’ll be glad you did.

A different kind of brain performance question is explored in “Do ADHD Drugs Take a Toll on the Brain?” Of course, drugs that treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder have provided enormous benefits for many thousands of patients, and nobody should make any decisions about their suitability without consulting a professional. But the article, by Edmund S. Higgins, discusses evidence that raises concerns about the long-term consequences of such medications. Understanding about the related brain mechanisms will grow with further research, and we expect that such medicines ultimately could be improved in the future. Naturally, Scientific American Mind applauds all such efforts to provide better mental health for everyone.

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Calendar: Mind events in July and August

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:59:00 EST

JULY

9 On this day in 1934, Canadian scientist Herbert Jasper of Brown University made the first electrical tracing from a human brain. Jasper, considered to be one of the founders of modern neuroscience, pioneered the use of the electroencephalogram (EEG) to study electrical activity associated with fundamental brain functions such as consciousness and learning. He and his collaborator, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, also elucidated the mechanism underlying epilepsy and invented a highly successful procedure to treat seizures. Their work has contributed largely to our understanding of functional anatomy and lateralization of the human brain.

[More]