SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society


Today's Headlines - February 12, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mr. Darwin

from the Guardian (UK)

To mark Darwin's birthday, and 150 years since he unveiled his theory of
natural selection, [The Guardian] brings you the definitive guide to On
the
Origin of Species.

"Big enough to undermine creation but simple enough to be stated in a
sentence, the theory of natural selection is a masterpiece," writes
Richard
Dawkins.

"Sequence any gene and you will see that our version is more similar to
that of other apes than to that of the rat, fish or fly. It's what
Darwin
would have predicted," says Laurence D. Hurst.

To read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/darwinbicentenary

Or: http://tinyurl.com/27wlsh


Centenarians Not an Exclusive Group

from the Seattle Times

CHICAGO (Associated Press) - Living to 100 is easier than you might
think.
Surprising new research suggests that even people who develop heart
disease
or diabetes late in life have a decent shot at reaching the century
mark.

"It has been generally assumed that living to 100 years of age was
limited
to those who had not developed chronic illness," said Dr. William Hall,
of
the University of Rochester.

Hall has a theory for how these people could live to that age. In an
editorial in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, where the study was
published, he writes that it might be thanks to doctors who aggressively
treat these older folks' health problems, rather than taking an "ageist"
approach that assumes they wouldn't benefit.

To read more:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004177577_longevity12
.htm
l

Or: http://tinyurl.com/3ahwch


Flying Reptiles Came in Miniature

from BBC News Online

A new fossil species of flying reptile with a wingspan of less than 30cm
(1ft) has been discovered in China. The nearly complete articulated
skeleton was unearthed in fossil beds from north-eastern China.

The 120-million-year-old reptile had not reached adulthood when it died,
but neither was it a hatchling. Study of the fossil suggests it is one
of
the smallest pterosaurs known, a team says in the journal Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences.

The new species has been named Nemicolopterus crypticus, which
means "hidden flying forest dweller." The researchers from Brazil and
China
say the toothless, sparrow-sized specimen contains several unique
anatomical features that distinguish it from other pterosaurs (ancient
flying reptiles).

To read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7239862.stm

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2frylp


After Rebound, King Penguins Face Warming Threat, Study Finds

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

The king penguin, a species that rebounded from near-extinction over the
last century, could be wiped out in coming decades due to global
warming,
researchers reported Monday.

If the surface temperature of the Southern Ocean rises 0.47 degrees
Fahrenheit -- an increase well below current forecasts of 0.72 degrees
over
the next 20 years -- declining food availability would lead to a
population
collapse, the scientists estimated.

"We don't have to get several degrees of increase to get a big effect,"
said Yvon Le Maho, a physiologist at the French National Center for
Scientific Research and lead author of the study, which was published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-
penguins12feb12,1,5446571.story

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2k4vzg


5200 B.C. Is New Date for Farms in Egypt

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

Long before the rule of pharaohs, Egyptians grew wheat and barley and
raised pigs, goats, sheep and cattle. Spotty evidence had suggested that
agriculture was practiced there more than 7,000 years ago, two
millenniums
earlier than the first royal dynasties.

American and Dutch archaeologists reported last week the discovery at a
desert oasis of what they say is the earliest known farming settlement
in
ancient Egypt. They said the animal bones, carbonized grains, hearths
and
pottery were roughly dated at 5200 B.C.

Now, for the first time, the archaeologists said, early agriculture in
Egypt can be studied in a village context, promising insights about the
farmers and some answers to the questions of how, why and when Egyptians
adopted farming.

To read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/science/12egyp.html

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2u44yz


The Differences in Gender -- Sealed With a Kiss

from the Washington Post (Registration Required)

A kiss, it turns out, is definitely not always just a kiss. As
Valentine's
Day approaches, research has begun shedding light on that most basic of
all
human expressions of love -- the smooch -- which has received
surprisingly
little scientific scrutiny.

"You'd think there would be a lot of research on kissing behavior. It's
so
common," said Susan M. Hughes, an assistant professor of psychology at
Albright College in Pennsylvania, whose recent study is one of the first
to
probe snogging in depth. "But there isn't. It's really been ignored."

In fact, much about love and attraction remains mysterious. "This is a
seminal paper," said Helen Fisher, a Rutgers University anthropologist
who
studies love. "It's remarkable that we don't know more about these
things.
But love has not really been well studied until recently."

To read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/02/10/AR2008021001197.html

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2uf246


Finding May Solve Riddle of Fatigue in Muscles

from the New York Times (Registration Required)

One of the great unanswered questions in physiology is why muscles get
tired. The experience is universal, common to creatures that have
muscles,
but the answer has been elusive until now.

Scientists at Columbia say they have not only come up with an answer,
but
have also devised, for mice, an experimental drug that can revive the
animals and let them keep running long after they would normally flop
down
in exhaustion.

For decades, muscle fatigue had been largely ignored or misunderstood.
Leading physiology textbooks did not even try to offer a mechanism, said
Dr. Andrew Marks, principal investigator of the new study. A popular
theory, that muscles become tired because they release lactic acid, was
discredited not long ago.

To read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/health/research/12musc.html

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2mmrrn


Lab Secured to Space Station

from the Chicago Tribune (Registration Required)

HOUSTON (Associated Press) - With the Columbus lab now secured to the
international space station, the 10 orbiting astronauts rolled up their
sleeves for their next big job: getting the lab running.

The shuttle and station crews planned to enter the science lab Tuesday
and
hook up all the power and data cables. They woke up Tuesday to pianist
Jim
Brickman's "Dream Come True," a dedication from astronaut Rex Walheim's
family.

"Doing a spacewalk certainly is a dream come true but the biggest dream
come true is having a wonderful wife, Margie, and my two great little
boys,
Alex and Jeffrey," Walheim said.

To read more:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-space-
shuttle,1,6979495.story

Or: http://tinyurl.com/2ldk9q


Ancient Iron Ore Mine Discovered in Peruvian Andes

from National Geographic News

A 2,000-year-old mine has been discovered high in mountains in Peru. The
find offers proof that an ancient people in the Andes mined hematite
iron
ore centuries before the Inca Empire, archaeologists say.

The mine was used to tap a vein of hematite, or ochre - the first such
mine
found in South America that predates the arrival of Spanish
conquistadors,
experts note.

The discovery, reported by a U.S. archaeologist, was made in southern
Peru
in the region once inhabited by the ancient Nasca (often spelled
"Nazca")
culture.  The rare find adds to a slim body of evidence about New World
mining practices, said Kevin J. Vaughn, an anthropologist at Purdue
University who reported the find.

To read more:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080211-nasca-
mine.html

Or: http://tinyurl.com/33mkhq


Just Desserts: Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Weight Gain

from Scientific American

You know those no-guilt diet drinks you chug by the gallon, and the fake
sugar you dump in your coffee to stay trim? Bad news: a new study
suggests
that artificial sweeteners may actually make it harder to control your
weight.

Psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behavior Research Center
report that nine rats given yogurt sweetened with no-cal saccharin ended
up
eating more and gaining more weight and body fat than eight fellow
rodents
given yogurt containing plain old glucose (a simple sugar with about 15
calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar).

Study authors Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson speculate the reason is
that the faux sweetener messes with the brain, fooling it into revving
up
the body's metabolism in anticipation of a never-to-come calorie load.

To read more: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=artificial-sweetener-
linked-weight-gain

Or: http://tinyurl.com/32ujv6