Science News - 1999 Archive

“Most disaster research focuses on the negative and maladaptive responses to the traumatic event. Very few studies look at the possibility for positive changes in a survivor's life…”

22 August 1999

Flea Collars May Expose Children To Insecticides

The organophosphate chemicals in many collars are similar to those used on crops…

19 August 1999

Infant Pain May Have Long-Term Effects

Memories of pain may be recorded at a biological level…

18 August 1999

Fine Line Between Pleasure & Pain

Exposure to a painful stimulus can stimulate the same neural “reward circuit” as that effected by drugs of abuse…

16 August 1999

Biological Warfare Olympics

Are bio terrorists a threat to the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney?

16 August 1999

Not the lubricant of love

Got a problem with your sex drive? It might be all in your PCB's

16 August 1999

Don't breathe easy!

Don't breathe easy, pollutions is just as bad for us clapped out old adults as it is for kids

15 August 1999

Evolutionary Questions Answered By Digital Organisms

Evolution is a pain for scientists to study. It takes too long. But scientists may have an answer for speeding up the evolutionary process…

11 August 1999

Bullies as victims?

Two new studies show bullies may need as much help as their victims

11 August 1999

Drink wine its good for your immune system!

Unlike most booze red wine does not supress your immune system

11 August 1999

Working Can Make You Stupid (if you’re a kid that is)

Part-time work may make students underperform at school

11 August 1999

Listening to sick bridges

A new 'baby buggy' that can listen to and help engineers fix sick bridges.

11 August 1999

US Agriculture Under Threat From Bioterrorism

As if drought and low prices weren't enough, there's a new, concern in U.S. agriculture - bioterrorism. What would happen if someone deliberately infected a crop with a pathogen?

10 August 1999

Feminism's Legacy For Children

Feminists say that participation in the women's movement taught their children about equality...

9 August 1999

Antarctic Lake May Harbor Unknown Life

It’s life Boris, but not as we know it. Lake Vostok is straight out of the X-Files…

6 August 1999

Researchers Wake Up To Narcolepsy Gene

Hungry mice help scientists understand what causes narcolepsy…

6 August 1999

Don't get angry, just get somewhere else!

Anger may not be an unchanging personality trait but rather a state that fluctuates according to on-the-spot situations.

5 August 1999

Rust Never Sleeps

Scientists are now listening to rust (we kid you not)

5 August 1999

The Accidental Scientist

With art all is not what is seems (visually anyway). New work on the link between giant block paintings and our perception of size and shapes.

4 August 1999

Caregivers Of Mentally Ill Risk Physical Illness

People who care for a severely mentally ill family member not only face a heavy emotional burden but are also at high risk of physical illness, new research shows…

2 August 1999

ADHD Sufferers At Less Risk Of Substance Abuse

Give your kids speed and they won’t grow up to be junkies…

30 July 1999

When It Comes To Food, Children Want What They Can't Have

No-brainer of the week – research shows that children want what they can’t have (duh)…

30 July 1999

Manatees hard of hearing

Why Manatees are so often run down by watercraft has long puzzled scientists. A hearing problem may finally provide the explanation.

29 July 1999

The Upside of Parkinson's Disease

Adolph Hitler may have suffered from Parkinson's Disease and the disease may have contributed to the defeat of the Nazis in World War Two.

29 July 1999

Microscope Resolution Barrier Broken

Some clever-clogs from Germany have worked out how to vastly increase the resolution of the traditional microscope…

28 July 1999

Killer Asteroids

Scientists estimate that there may be 500 to 1,000 big asteroids and other near-Earth objects that pose a threat to civilization. and one could be on the way.

28 July 1999

How Stress Slows Wound Healing

Stress, depression and anxiety prior to surgery have all been associated with poor surgical recovery...

26 July 1999

No Sex Please! We're Working British

According to a new British survey, stress may not only be bad for you health, but it probably impacts upon your sex life too.

25 July 1999

Cor! That bird's a looker!

According to new research, attractiveness is less about genes and more about environmentally developed factors.

23 July 1999

New Bullets Could Save the Earth

The United States army is to manufacture and use tungsten-based bullets, replacing the traditional but environmentally unfriendly lead slugs.

23 July 1999

O2 Levels Dropping But Plants Grow Faster

Aussie scientists say that plants are picking up the slack and processing more of the CO2 that humans produce….

22 July 1999

Headache? Whoo hoo!

According to a German magazine having sex can prevent migraines and lead to a happier and healthier life.

21 July 1999

God And Melanomas

Religiosity can play an important role in how individuals affected with life-threatening illness cope and adjust…

15 July 1999

Crash! Bash! Smash!

Astronomers have obtained new images of more than a dozen distant galaxies colliding with each other, which may indicate how galaxies are formed.

14 July 1999

A meteorite with buckyballs

A new form of carbon has been found, and it may have played a part in the origin of life on earth.

13 July 1999

They're all at it

evidence suggests that the experience of bullying may be more common than is widely believed. A new survey has revealed that up to 80% of students may be engaged in bullying behavior.

12 July 1999

Your brain is getting smaller and smaller

A new medical study has shown that older people with heaps of education display greater brain shrinkage than those who spent less time schooling. But it’s not all bad news.

9 July 1999

Tea for me

Drinking a simple cup of tea once a day can significantly reduce the risk of having a heart attack, British researchers have claimed.

8 July 1999

Get that blood movin' old timer!

A new U.S. study has concluded that there may be a link between efficient blood circulation and cognitive functioning in the elderly.

7 July 1999

America. Home of the brave and the fat-free

A new study has found that Americans are undergoing cosmetic surgery more than ever. Can you guess what is the most popular procedure?!

1 July 1999

Thank the Lord! I can live longer!

Attending religious services more than once a week raises the possibility of extending your life, according to a recent study.

30 June 1999

Infertility runs in our family

Evidence suggests that a common method of artificial insemination is passing on a genetic defect that causes infertility in men.

30 June 1999

An acoustics traffic jam

According to new research, the noise levels in the supposedly tranquil deep sea have reached such high levels that sea creatures are changing their migration and breeding grounds.

29 June 1999

WWW Finally Gets Proper Hypertext. Dolphin Funny Business Pays Off...

Ted (Nelson’s) most excellent version of the Web finally arrives. Courtesy of a company called Third Voice. Hoo-boy, what are Microsoft going to pay for this puppy?

28 June 1999

Bears Having a Whale of a Time

A group of Beluga whales trapped in the Canadian arctic by shifting ice are being attacked by polar bears. The flesh of the whales is being torn off as the whales surface to breathe.

27 June 1999

Look Mom - No Hands!

Researchers have developed a method for recording brain signals onto electrode arrays in laboratory rats that enable the rats to control a robotic arm without any actual muscle movement.

22 June 1999

Cloning issue not black and white

Chinese scientists have produced an embryo of the giant panda. And they claim that cloning could help restore the numbers of the threatened species.

21 June 1999

A drug with big potential

Researchers in Canberra, Australia, have discovered a new drug that stops viruses in their tracks.

20 June 1999

Researchers recently set off their own mini-earthquake in the middle of the San Francisco Bay to test exactly what happens to buildings, homes and bridges when the soil beneath them turns to quicksand.

18 June 1999

Better Bee Family Relations

Honeybees are pretty tight with their families, but how can they tell who's kin? Research has identified a chemical that increases a bee's ability to identify nestmates. It also makes bees more aggressive to bees they aren't related to.

16 June 1999

Keep fit and keep happy

Recent research shows exercise to be a viable, cost-effective treatment for depression and may help in the treatment of other mental disorders.

15 June 1999

Net nets Nessie

A couple watching via the Internet claim they saw the shy and retiring Loch Ness monster.

14 June 1999

Happy Dance

The drug Ecstasy, popular at “rave” dance parties and other large gatherings, may not be as safe as widely believed.

10 June 1999

Bob. My asteroid is called Bob.

As part of the NASA's New Millennium Program, Deep Space 1 will pass very close to the asteroid 1992 KD (9969). And now you have the chance to re-name the asteroid to mark the occasion.

9 June 1999

A good ol' cup o' joe

A recent study suggests that drinking at least two cups of caffeinated coffee a day lowers the risk of developing gallstones in men.

8 June 1999

Like an arrow through my heart

A Mayo Clinic study has found that nearly one out of four people at higher risk for heart valve infection who have parts of their body pierced suffer from infection as a result of the piercing.

7 June 1999

Bug's genitals worth a second look

The odd-shaped genitals of dung beetles are giving scientists a remarkable new insight into the deep history of the Australian rainforest - and, potentially, a new way to care for it in future.

31 May 1999

All males are the same

The elite club of clones has only consisted of females, such as Dolly the sheep and Cumulina the mouse - until now.

30 May 1999

Hot Weekends In Toronto

Higher amounts of ground-level ozone on weekends compared to weekdays are causing warmer weekend weather in Toronto, according to a University of Toronto study.

27 May 1999

Drink to your heart's content

Scientists have challenged the theory that France's low death rate from heart disease is due to its high consumption of red wine.

26 May 1999

Time to wake up to melatonin?

People who take the supplement melatonin hoping for antioxidant or sleep benefits may be getting more than they bargain for. Newly released findings show melatonin reacts with chemicals in the body to form compounds that could alter behavior.

25 May 1999

Universe begins to show its age

NASA experts announced recently that the universe might not be as old as was once thought. But other experts immediately questioned the claim, leaving doubt over one of astronomy's basic questions.

24 May 1999

Space Invaders

A Purdue University expert on media and children believes kids are attracted to video games not so much by the violence, but because they present puzzles or problems to solve.

23 May 1999

Run Yourself Ragged

Athletes may increase their susceptibility to illness if they severely limit the amount of fat in their diets.

20 May 1999

Brit Teens Need to Clean Up Their Act

New research suggests that British teenagers have the worst sexual health in Western Europe.

19 May 1999

Mighty Munching Microbes

Scientists have discovered a native Australian microbe that eats pesticide - offering new hope for a way to clean up contaminated soil and water.

18 May 1999

Hard Working Sperm

A new method of making transgenic animals that provides a better chance of the new genes being passed on for multiple generations has been developed.

17 May 1999

Cockpit Communication Critical in Crisis

When there's a crisis in the cockpit, why do some flight crews think on their feet and react swiftly, while other crews make potentially fatal mistakes?

17 May 1999

So that's why the whales are so happy

There is mounting evidence that fish may alleviate the symptoms of manic depression.

15 May 1999

Breastfed bubs save you money

Babies fed infant formula are more likely to need doctor visits and prescription drugs than babies who are breastfed, according to a study by The University of Arizona Department of Pediatrics.

14 May 1999

Memory compensation

New research has found that the brains of Alzheimer's patients reorganize memory tasks to compensate for loss of function related to the disease.

13 May 1999

Your feet's too big

Research examining theropod dinosaur prints has found significant similarities with the foot structure of modern day birds.

12 May 1999

The bite taste test

A nuptial gift that just keeps on giving is part of every sperm package from a male rattlebox moth to his freshly mated female. It will help protect her from spiders.

11 May 1999

Big Protein

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center have created the largest protein from scratch, with both a stable and predictable shape.

10 May 1999

Green acres is the place to be

Having grass and trees that are easily visible and readily accessible helps to grow social ties and a sense of community among residents in low-income, inner-city housing.

8 May 1999

Will you still need me when I'm 164?

Most of us will not only live to see the new millennium, but the year 2100 too, according to a professor of medicine at Michigan State University.

7 May 1999

It'll blow your mind

The balloon procedure routinely used to unblock clogged arteries in the heart to prevent heart attacks shows promise for opening narrowed blood vessels in the brain that can lead to stroke

6 May 1999

Jiminy Crickets! They're everywhere!

A scientific expedition to central and northern Australia has discovered more than a dozen previously unknown species of grasshoppers and katydids.

5 May 1999

2001: A LEGO Odessey

In a new competition kids from around the world are to be given the opportunity to actually participate in a planetary mission to Mars to be launched in 2001.

3 May 1999

Sugar and spice and all things nice

Girls and boys fear different things, according to a new American study, and it may be different to what you'd expect.

2 May 1999

Helping the kids get happy

A majority of family physicians and paediatricians are treating children with Prozac-type drugs for mild to moderate mental illness, according to a new study.

30 April 1999

Why are the frogs deformed?

Frogs with multiple limbs and other disfigurements have long been seen as indicators of some larger environmental catastrophe. But are they?

29 April 1999

Big Girls Don't Cry

Concerns about how adolescent girls react to normal weight gains prompted researchers to look at the real-life implications of body fat for dating and sexual activity.

27 April 1999

Hot debate erupts in paradise

An active volcano rising more than 4,300 meters from the ocean floor in the Samoa Islands has been discovered by scientists, providing more evidence in the scientific debate over the formation of hot spot island chains.

27 April 1999

Grow a brain

Brain stem cells recovered from living adult human tissue have been successfully reproduced in vitro at the University of Tennessee-Memphis health science center.

26 April 1999

It's black and white

A new colour vision screening test has been proven accurate in large field study with follow-up genetic testing.

23 April 1999

Brain Pain

Evidence of the cause of migraine pain is shifting away from explanations that involve dilating or constricting blood vessels to the back of the head. Instead the findings point to changes in the meninges.

22 April 1999

Blimey! That's an old tree

A plant that lived about 370 million years ago, but is now extinct, has provided evidence for the earliest known modern tree.

21 April 1999

STOP gets you going

A new 'plug' may be the answer for women looking for permanent contraception without the pain.

19 April 1999

I wanna talk to you, baby

Interaction between parents and children significantly influence the development of effective communication skills throughout the child’s life.

18 April 1999

Big Bacterium

The biggest bacteria ever seen has been found off the African Coast.

15 April 1999

Not just your average black hole

Astronomers have recently discovered a new type of medium sized black hole

14 April 1999

Sick people may not have enough sex

A new study suggests that the immune systems of people who have sex once or twice a week are boosted.

14 April 1999

Dragged way from the blues

A new double-blind study has found that magnetic stimulation of the brain eases severe depression.

11 April 1999

Kids Get High with NASA

NASA will fly Texas high school students in the "Texas Fly High", a program providing an opportunity for students to fly aboard NASA's reduced gravity aircraft.

13 April 1999

That woman is breakin' my heart

New research suggests that women with advanced congestive heart failure live twice as long as men with the condition

12 April 1999

The answer to the weather is blowin' in the wind

Variations in the energy given off from the sun effect the Earth's wind patterns and consequently the climate of the planet.

7 April 1999

Eat your greens (yum)...

Researchers report that small concentrations of two compounds from plants can suppress the growth of three kinds of human cancer cells.

6 April 1999

Brain Injury and Custard Pies

A new Canadian study has found that people with damage to the right frontal lobe of their brains have difficulty getting ironic jokes the way they should.

5 April 1999

Pigs might fly

First Artificial Liver Trial Using Human Cells

4 April 1999

The bionic man has left the building!

The bionic person draws ever closer.

5 April 1999

Cyber Science Prize

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is putting up big bucks to solve 'huge' scientific problems

4 April 1999

Easter = Chocolate (again)

Re-run of an article earlier this year that puts the relationship between chocolate and emotions into a scientific perspective

31 March 1999

Don't Bug The Babies

Good insect moms ferociously protect their young by fanning their wings and charging predators--but only when they must pin all their hopes on a single batch of eggs, a University of Delaware scientist reports in the new issue of the journal, Animal Behaviour.

30 March 1999

Introverts At The Front, Extroverts To The Rear

A University of Iowa study adds to growing evidence that being shy or outgoing may be all in your head. Investigators looking at cerebral blood flow and personality found more conclusive signs of different brain activity in introverts and extroverts.

29 March 1999

Then One Bacteria Said To The Other Bacteria�

An esoteric research project has to the discovery of a "quorum-sensing" gene in common bacteria.

25 March 1999

Bliss On The Brain

Researchers at UC Irvine's College of Medicine have discovered how chemicals in the brain that are related to the active ingredient of marijuana help regulate body movements and other motor activity in rats.

22 March 1999

How Does The Nose Know - An Alphabet Of Odor

Smell is perhaps the most exquisitely sensitive and complex of all the senses, and it has also been the most perplexing for scientists to decipher. Researchers have wondered, for example, how small amounts of a particular chemical can smell enticing, while large amounts of the same chemical are overpowering. Now, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Harvard Medical School and colleagues from Japan have solved one of olfactory research's biggest puzzles: How can the nose - with a relatively small number of olfactory receptors - have the sensitivity to discriminate roughly 10,000 different odors?

19 March 1999

On The Breast And Feeling Mellow

A new study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill links increased levels of the hormone oxytocin to lower blood pressure among mothers who nurse their babies. The findings help explain why many breast-feeding mothers report feeling mellow and relaxed after nursing.

17 March 1999

When Is A Liquid Not A Liquid?

The glass may be half empty or half full, but the water touching the glass may only be half-liquid...

5 March 1999

Family Of Giants Serves As A Living Laboratory On Dwarfism

In 1996, Michael A. Levine, M.D., an authority on acromegaly, was invited by Brazilian researchers to consult on several families of giants seen at the University of Sao Paulo Hospital clinic...

3 March 1999

Prostrate, Gene Switching and the Evil Twins

Nearly 90 percent of prostate cancers - "the typical, garden varieties," according to Johns Hopkins scientists - are linked to a previously unsuspected but common genetic process called "gene switching", that could be reversible.

2 March 1999

Mechanic Finds 375 Million-Year-Old Glassy Black Thing In Lumpy Limestone Football

Late last year auto mechanic Michael Potts dug a hole for a gasoline tank in Interlaken, New York. He noticed an abundance of limestone boulders that resembled lumpy footballs and basketballs...

24 February 1999

Conservative Ideology Fosters Guilt Trip For Overweight

The American emphasis on hard work and self-reliance may have made this country what it is today. But according to University of Michigan researchers, the Protestant ethic also makes overweight women feel bad about themselves...

23 February 1999

Brain Mapping Of Sexual Arousal

Sensations of uncontrolled pleasure? Read on if you're old enough...

22 February 1999

PCBs Found In Stranded Dolphins

A study of bottlenose dolphins that stranded and died in Texas' Matagorda Bay has found toxic levels of PCBs in their tissues, leaving scientists wondering what effects these pollutants might have on dolphins and humans...

21 February 1999

Air Bags May Cause Hearing Loss

Listen up, airbag deployment in low-speed crashes could make you deaf...

18 February 1999

Origin Of Language Pegged At 6 Months

Within the first babbling streams of chaotic baby talk, infants normally manage to disgorge two real words: Mama... Dada...

17 February 1999

Computers To Project Emotional States

Speech synthesis for computers is nothing new but getting them talking with emotion is. Now some new software gets computers speaking with anger, happiness, or a range of other emotions...

16 February 1999

Yoga and Meditation Help Relieve Chronic Pain

Yoga and meditation are being used to treat chronic pain with remarkable results...

15 February 1999

Travel For Clots

Long haul air travel is not the only culprit when it comes to life-threatening blood clots - train and car travel can be just as bad...

14 February 1999

Looking For Land Mines

New research offers hope of detecting land mines from the air�

12 February 1999

Valentine's Chocolates: More Than They're Wrapped Up To Be

Feelings of guilt and uncontrolled desire? It's all just part of the chocolate experience...

11 February 1999

Mother Tongue Twisted

For kids with native-language learning difficulties, some mother tongues may be worse than others...

10 February 1999

Ecological Farming May Cause More Heavy Metals In The Soil

So-called organic products may be worse for the environment than previously suspected...

9 February 1999

Alzheimer's Impairs Motion Perception

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease are likely to have a harder time identifying objects while they are walking or traveling in a vehicle...

8 February 1999

High Heels - Lowbrow

The funsters at the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society have just released some ground-breaking research that shows, wait for it, that the higher educated the woman, the lower the heels on her shoes...

5 February 1999

Serotonin May Be Better Target For ADHD Treatment

Concerns over prescribing Ritalin or other stimulants to control hyperactivity disorders in children have led researchers to examine other possible treatments. Serotonin reuptake may be the key to new, less controversial treatments...

4 February 1999

From The Mind Of Monkeys

Researchers discover new clues to evolution of human brain...

3 February 1999

Take The Bus And Die

The crowded metropolitan bus system in Buenos Aires could be responsible for 30 per cent of new cases of tuberculosis in the city. According to a Cornell University biomathematician, taking public transportation "is a considerable component of transmission and probable evolution of the disease"...

2 February 1999

War Can Be A Health Hazard (Maybe)

The Ministry of Defence has found that Gulf War syndrome is not associated with any specific syndrome and new research suggests no single physical or psychological cause is responsible for the illnesses seen in some Gulf War veterans...

1 February 1999

Frequent Sex Can Reduce Risk Of Colds

Start shagging and stop sniffling! People engaging in frequent sexual activity are also reducing the risk of getting the common cold�

31 January 1999

Helicopter Heads For Space

Propeller head fantasy fulfilled, blast off into orbit in a helicopter...

30 January 1999

Greenhouse Gas Scare

Termite farts contribute less to global warming crisis than cow dung...

29 January 1999

Cherries The Wonder Drug

You will recall the cherries-in-burgers-prevent-cancer-story. Well now these wonders of modern medicine are found to act as painkillers. Clear out the medicine cabinet and replace it with a fruit bowl...

19 January 1999

Aids On The Road

Feckless drivers trucking around India spread Aids...

18 January 1999

Self Building Robots Begin Their March

First steps taken towards self building nanotechnology...

17 January 1999

Die In Heaven

Viagra may elevate more than just your private parts..

16 January 1999

Bears Prefer Japanese

Bare-faced cheek of the orsine car jackers...

15 January 1999

Strength in Numbers

The march of Argentine ants spells armageddon for the native North American variety...

14 January 1999

Email Dating Works

Find your Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks online...

13 January 1999

It's A Dog's Life

Pampered Californian pets qualify for chemotherapy...

12 January 1999

Nosey Neigbours - Nothing New

Nosey neighbours chronicled in the fifties...

11 January 1999

Don't Cut Those Apron Strings Yet

Kids use Mom as an excuse to not join a gang...

9 January 1999

Pigged Out Over Christmas?

Leave the diet and exercise books alone - call your shrink...

8 January 1999

War Over Water

Access to water and not land will initiate future wars...

7 January 1999

Viagra gives new meaning to nose job

Fancy a quick one? Snorting Viagra will get you there...

6 January 1999

Plastic Modelling Grows Up

Trust your life to a car glued together in the same manner as those plastic kits you constructed as a kid...

5 January 1999

Drink Up And Keep The Carcinogens Away

So, what did we discover over Christmas? - Beer inhibits carcinogenic mutagens..

Science News 1999

29 December 1999

28 December 1999

26 December 1999

25 December 1999

22 December 1999

21 December 1999

19 December 1999

18 December 1999

18 December 1999

14 December 1999

10 December 1999

10 December 1999

8 December 1999

6 December 1999

6 December 1999

5 December 1999

5 December 1999

1 December 1999

1 December 1999

29 November 1999

29 November 1999

29 November 1999

29 November 1999

23 November 1999

23 November 1999

22 November 1999

22 November 1999

22 November 1999

17 November 1999

17 November 1999

16 November 1999

15 November 1999

15 November 1999

10 November 1999

10 November 1999

9 November 1999

8 November 1999

8 November 1999

3 November 1999

3 November 1999

3 November 1999

3 November 1999

3 November 1999

2 November 1999

30 October 1999

29 October 1999

26 October 1999

26 October 1999

24 October 1999

24 October 1999

22 October 1999

22 October 1999

21 October 1999

21 October 1999

19 October 1999

18 October 1999

12 October 1999

12 October 1999

7 October 1999

7 October 1999

7 October 1999

4 October 1999

4 October 1999

4 October 1999

4 October 1999

4 October 1999

30 September 1999

30 September 1999

28 September 1999

28 September 1999

28 September 1999

24 September 1999

24 September 1999

24 September 1999

21 September 1999