Sid's Science Stories (Science News)
The following stories (including three cover stories) were written while Sid was the science writer intern at Science News in Washington, D.C. (September 1997 - January 1998).
Copyright on all stories: 1997, 1998 Science Service.
All rights reserved.
The burden of bee-ing an undertaker
-
- The small percentage of bees that serve as undertakers --
removing dead bees from the hive -- appears to be a distinct cadre of
workers that are developmentally ahead of their peers.
(Full
story of 9/27/97)
Transgenic plants provoke petition
-
- A coalition of organic farmers and environmental organizations
petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind approvals of
plants genetically engineered to manufacture a natural pesticide.
(Full
story of 9/27/97)
Faster track for ozone layer protection
-
- Representatives from more than 100 governments met in Montreal last
month and agreed to tighten restrictions on several chemicals harmful to
the ozone layer.
(Full story of
10/4/97)
A Peek Inside Old Faithful
-
- Each year, an estimated 2.4 million people thrill to the sight of
Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful -- but what makes the geyser
tick? Geologists used a video camera and other probes to discover a few
of Old Faithful's innermost secrets.
(Full COVER
STORY of 10/11/97)
Full report of nuclear test fallout released
-
- On Oct. 1, the National Cancer Institute released the full report on
its nationwide study of exposure to atmospheric fallout from 90
above-ground nuclear tests conducted 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas
throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
(Full story of
10/11/97)
Scientists finally find where to scratch
-
- Researchers in Europe report identifying a new kind of nerve fiber
that is probably responsible for transmitting the sensation of itching.
(Full story of
10/18/97)
Laser cooling yields Nobel in physics
-
- Three researchers were awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for
developing methods of using laser light to chill gases to within a few
millionths of a degree of absolute zero.
(Full story of
10/25/97)
Electric cars. . .fueled by gasoline?
-
- A government-industry team has demonstrated a way to strip hydrogen
atoms from gasoline to generate hydrogen gas and use it in fuel cells to
drive electric cars.
(Full
story of 11/1/97)
Gamma-ray glow bathes Milky Way
-
- A mysterious halo of gamma rays not associated with any known
celestial objects extends thousands of light-years from the core of the
Milky Way and may surround the entire galaxy, astronomers report.
(Full story of
11/8/97)
Whipping up a metallic frappe
-
- Using only a kitchen blender and a laser, researchers have
developed a quick, inexpensive, clean method of producing ultrafine
metalpowders.
(Full story of
11/15/97)
Material may help batteries hold a recharge
-
- The use of amorphous manganese oxyiodide as a cathode may solve a
variety of problems that plague rechargeable batteries.
(Full story of
11/22/97)
Calming bad vibes
-
- From microscopes to skyscrapers, smart structures help control
vibration. Engineers are using computers and new classes of exotic
materials to create objects that can sense their environment, process the
information, then react appropriately.
(Full COVER
STORY of 11/22/97)
Beatin' those low-life blue-laser blues
-
- Researchers in Japan have increased the operational lifetime of blue laser diodes to the point where the devices may be commercially useful.
(Full
story of 12/13/97)
A surprising encounter of the NEAR kind
-
- An analysis of pictures and data obtained during last summer's flyby of the asteroid 253 Mathilde reveals that this carbon-rich, heavily-cratered body is only about a half as dense as rocky asteroids.
(Full story of
1/3/98)
Nanotubes: Metallic by a twist of fate
-
- The electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes--formed when an individual layer of graphite rolls into a seamless cylinder--depends on the degree of spiral in the nanotube's lattice structure.
(Full story of
1/10/98)
Freshwater finds
-
- Researchers are beginning to use technology developed for exploring the ocean depths to unlock the secrets of ships and archaeological sites that lie beneath lakes and rivers.
(Full COVER
STORY of 1/10/98)
Black hole acts as cosmic 'Old Faithful'
-
- Fluctuations in X-ray emissions from the vicinity of a suspected black hole appear linked to jets of hot matter hurled from the object every 30 minutes.
(Full story of
1/17/98)
Mercury mystery solved when sparks fly
-
- Light flashes of mercury in glass tubes, a phenomenon known as "barometer light," is caused by the buildup of static electricity.
(Full story of
1/24/98)
Liquid Bose-Einstein condensate found
-
- A new analysis of data obtained years ago confirms a decades-old suspicion that a measurable fraction of the atoms in liquid helium form a Bose-Einstein condensate.
(Full story of
2/7/98)
Whither heapeth the dancing sands?
-
- A computer model has predicted the patterns formed by granular materials on vibrating surfaces.
(Full story of
2/7/98)
Not-So-Deadly Force
-
- Development of less-than-lethal weapons has proliferated, promising alternative means of bridging the gap between verbal warnings and the use of deadly force.
(Full story of
3/7/98)
Copyright on all stories: 1997, 1998 Science Service.
All rights reserved.