Science News 2003
Here's a list of all the news articles that appeared on Science a GoGo in 2003.
29 December 2003
Memory Linked To Mad Cow Mechanism
A prion-like protein may be the storage mechanism that the brain uses to retain memories...
22 December 2003
Human - Chimp Differences A Matter Of Lifestyle
Chimpanzees and humans share 99% of their genetic makeup apart from key differences in the way we perceive smells and what we eat...
18 December 2003
Massive Salinity Changes In Oceans
Further indications of global climate change are becoming apparent as tropical oceans get saltier while ocean waters near the poles are becoming fresher...
15 December 2003
Bacterium That Eats Radioactive Garbage And Generates Electricity Has Scientists Excited
Researchers have decoded and analyzed the genome of a bacterium that possesses extraordinary capabilities to transport electrons and "reduce" metal ions as part of its energy-generating metabolism...
11 December 2003
Biologically Inspired Robot Design Planned With New Vision System
A new computer vision system is expected to accelerate animal behavior research, which will help with the design of biologically inspired robots...
8 December 2003
Musical Instrument Quality Linked To Climate
Changes in the weather may be the reason why instruments crafted in the late 17th and 18th centuries are tonally superior to modern instruments...
4 December 2003
Molecular Memory Durability Demonstrated
Researchers have been skeptical that molecular devices could survive the rigors of real-world use but a new study has demonstrated that molecular memories are indeed both durable and practical...
1 December 2003
White Christmas' Less Likely
Higher temperatures and fewer snowfalls are becoming the norm across the US meaning Christmas falls will become rarer...
27 November 2003
Over-Screening For Cancer A Waste Of Funds
Mammograms and Pap smear screening in many women over the age of 70 is a misdirected use of health-care funds say researchers...
24 November 2003
DNA Creates Self-Assembling Nano-Transistor
Scientists are using biology to build electronic transistors that assemble themselves without human manipulation...
20 November 2003
Bush's CO2 Dumping Plan Could Devastate Sea Life
A Bush administration proposal to reduce global warming by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and injecting it into the deep sea could have disastrous effects on sea life...
17 November 2003
Evolutionary Changes Not Always Small
The theory that a species evolves by going through a large number of small genetic changes may not be completely accurate...
13 November 2003
Nicotine Improves Memory And Helps Brain Repair Itself
Nicotine may improve memory and protect brain cells from diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's as well as improve some of the learning and memory problems associated with hypothyroidism...
10 November 2003
New Method To Map Dark Matter
Researchers say that the motion of dark matter clumps can be modeled in a way similar to the Brownian motion of air-borne dust or pollen...
6 November 2003
Enigma Of Extraterrestrial Amino Acids
Why extraterrestrial amino acids prefer the same "left-handed" structure as Earth's amino acids could answer the most fundamental question of science: Where and how did life begin?
3 November 2003
Sun's Iron Core May Be Cause Of Solar Flares
The solar storms that have hit Earth may be caused by the sun's iron-rich interior, says a researcher who theorizes that the sun's core is made of iron rather than hydrogen...
30 October 2003
Psychosis A Smelly Issue
The ability to distinguish odours could provide the first diagnostic tool for predicting a person's likelihood of developing psychosis...
27 October 2003
Clay May Have Been Catalyst For Life
Clays may have spurred the spontaneous assembly of fatty acids into the first living cells...
22 October 2003
Electrokinetic Generation May Challenge Solar, Wind Power
Researchers have discovered a new way of generating electricity from flowing water...
16 October 2003
Elizabethans The Four-Letter-Word Champs
The language used on television today is mild compared to the obscenities used by Elizabethans in everyday life...
13 October 2003
New State Of Matter Mooted
It appears that bosons can exist as a metal which directly contradicts conventional wisdom and likely requires a new state of matter to be recognized...
9 October 2003
Major Climate Changes Predicted For US
More rain and more extreme climate events - like drought and flooding - are on the cards for the U.S. in the next hundred years...
6 October 2003
SARS Not Beaten Yet Say Researchers
The SARS virus is capable of changing rapidly and unpredictably, which could present serious challenges for managing the disease and developing drugs and vaccines to combat it...
2 October 2003
Solar Contribution To Global Warming Set To Decrease
New research predicts that the sun's contribution to warming the Earth will reduce slightly over the next 100 years...
25 September 2003
Low IQ Could Lead To Early Death
People with high IQs who reside in poor neighborhoods lived longer than people with low IQs...
22 September 2003
Doctors Not So Keen When Treating Bioterror Agents
Eight out of ten doctors say they're willing to care for patients during a bioterror outbreak - provided it's not too dangerous...
18 September 2003
Sense Of Fairness Documented In Monkeys
Having long recognized the sense of fairness within the human species, researchers can now confirm this trait in nonhuman primates...
15 September 2003
Organic Materials Could Mean Cheaper Solar Power
Scientists are closer to making a new class of solar cells that while not as efficient as existing solar panels, will be vastly less expensive and more versatile...
11 September 2003
Different Dinosaur Death Theory Erupts
The extinction of the dinosaurs - thought to be caused by an asteroid impact - was more likely to have been caused by a huge volcanic eruption from deep within the earth's mantle...
8 September 2003
Mosquito Coils May Cause Cancer
Mosquito coils made in Asia that people use to ward off mosquitoes may be releasing cancer-causing smoke...
4 September 2003
Mysterious Ice Domes Hint At Life On Europa
A new study of Jupiter's moon Europa may help explain the giant ice domes on its surface and the possibility of discovering past or present life forms...
1 September 2003
Left Side Of Brain Influences Immune Function
How you respond to events emotionally could encourage a stronger immune response against disease...
21 August 2003
Is Social Behavior Genetic?
Researchers are on the trail of the genes that lead to the extroverted behavior seen in children with "hyper-sociability"...
18 August 2003
Childhood ADHD May Predict Substance Abuse
People with severe problems of inattention as children were more likely than their peers to report alcohol-related problems, a greater frequency of getting drunk, and heavier and earlier use of tobacco and other drugs...
14 August 2003
Cosmic Rays The Biggest Culprit In Global Warming
Against prevailing scientific opinion, some scientists believe that cosmic rays account for about 75 percent of climate variation...
11 August 2003
New Tool For Predicting Mega Earthquakes
Scientists say we are currently within the timeframe where another large earthquake is expected in the North Western US...
7 August 2003
Catchy Tunes Have a Common Denominator
What makes some melodies more harmonious than others arises from people's exposure to the acoustical characteristics of speech sounds...
4 August 2003
Ray Guns Getting Serious
Recent leaps forward in the development of powerful free-electron lasers might mean the battleground laser is not too far off...
31 July 2003
New Species Of Organism Excites Astrobiologists
They thrive without oxygen, growing in salty, alkaline conditions, and may offer insights into what kinds of life might survive on Mars...
27 July 2003
Physicists Build Nano Motor
A Berkeley physicist has created the first nano-scale motor - a gold rotor on a nanotube shaft that could ride on the back of a virus...
24 July 2003
Nanoscale Self-Assembly Demonstrated
Scientists have demonstrated a technique that could one day allow electronic devices to assemble themselves automatically...
21 July 2003
Obesity Increases Alzheimer's Risk
For women, there is a striking association between being overweight at 70 and developing Alzheimer's disease a decade or more later...
17 July 2003
Asteroid Threat Overstated
A new study says that asteroids with a diameter greater than 200 metres will hit the earth's surface approximately once every 160,000 years - way down on previous estimates of impacts every 2,500 years...
14 July 2003
Temperature, Not Light, Drives Biological Clock
Want an easy way to get over jet lag? Try heating your brain...
10 July 2003
Move Your Head To Change Your Mind
When you nod your head to show approval or shake your head to show disapproval, it's not just sending a message to others - you may also be influencing yourself...
3 July 2003
Understanding More About "Nothing"
Just what does a vacuum contain? Theorists may need to rethink the way strange quark-antiquark pairs are produced...
30 June 2003
Cheap Hydrogen Thanks To New Catalyst
Scientists have developed a hydrogen-making catalyst that uses cheaper materials and yields fewer contaminants than do current processes...
26 June 2003
First 3D Nano-Structure Announced
A new, three-dimensional designer material assembled from two different types of particles only billionths of a meter across has been created...
23 June 2003
Adolescents Wired For Addiction
Adolescents are more vulnerable than any other age group to developing nicotine, alcohol and other drug addictions because the regions of the brain that govern impulse and motivation are not yet fully formed...
19 June 2003
Computer Games Zap Melatonin
Computer games might improve some types of visual functioning but they also suppress melatonin changes which could be the cause of a poor night's sleep...
16 June 2003
Changing Nitrogen Cycle Bad For Health
Despite greatly increasing food production for humans, the growing use of nitrogen as a nutrient is affecting people's health far beyond just the benefits of growing more crops...
12 June 2003
Behavior Of Ultra-Cold Substance Explained
Understanding the strange behavior of the ultra-cold material known as Bose-Einstein condensate will help in the development of quantum computing...
9 June 2003
Thermal Imaging Reveals A Changing Mars
High-resolution infrared data and detailed geological analysis show Mars has experienced dramatic environmental change...
5 June 2003
Tiny Trampoline For Bouncing Electrons Developed
A new device will provide insights into harnessing quantum forces for communication and computing...
2 June 2003
Solar System In A Hole
The first detailed map of space within about 1,000 light years of Earth places the solar system in the middle of a large hole...
29 May 2003
Pool Chlorine Implicated In Childhood Asthma
Trichloramine, or nitrogen trichloride, a highly concentrated volatile by-product of chlorination, may be implicated in the surge of childhood asthma in developed countries...
26 May 2003
Holy Neurons! Eating Bats Makes You Batty
A third of Guam's Chamorro people suffer a devastating neurological disease that may be caused by their diet of flying fox bats...
22 May 2003
Superfast Evolutionary Change In Mice Observed
Changes in mice over just 150 years suggest genetic evolution can occur a lot faster than many had thought possible...
19 May 2003
Human Cloning May Be Impossible
Scientists have demonstrated that it is virtually impossible to clone humans using current techniques, casting doubt on recent claims by the Raelians...
15 May 2003
Globally, 90% Of Large Fish Are Gone
A new study shows that industrial fisheries take only ten to fifteen years to grind any new fish community they encounter to one tenth of what it was before...
12 May 2003
Time Perception Goes Up In Smoke
Not being able to estimate accurately how long something is taking may contribute to the performance declines and discomfort smokers typically experience while trying to quit...
8 May 2003
Artificial Proteins Point Way To 'Synthetic Biology'
Biochemists have developed a computational method to design proteins, constituting an important step toward a new technology of "synthetic biology"...
5 May 2003
Placebos Used To Effectively Treat ADHD
A significant percentage of children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder did just as well when harmless placebos replaced their medications...
1 May 2003
Pursuing A Meaningful Life May Boost Immune System
Pursuing goals related to living a meaningful life may boost the activity of certain cells in the immune system...
28 April 2003
Lab Cultures Used To Control Robot
A robot that moves about using the brain signals of a rat, is the first robotic device controlled by a network of cultured neuron cells...
24 April 2003
Tooth Fairy Gets Competition
Baby teeth - the temporary teeth that children begin losing around their sixth birthday - contain a rich supply of stem cells which could be harvested for research...
21 April 2003
Cloned Pigs Differ In Looks And Behavior
Cloned pigs can have the same degree of variability in physical appearance and behavior as normally bred animals...
17 April 2003
Algorithm For "Nature" Described
A new theory simplifies various aspects of ecological complexity with an elegant model that unites all of them and provides a theory for quantifying biodiversity...
14 April 2003
Prehistoric Prion Disease Epidemics Widespread
Cannibalism is the most likely reason that genes protecting against prion diseases are widespread throughout the world...
10 April 2003
Sperm Follow Their Noses
To help with fertilization, sperm may be using a sensory receptor similar to those found in the nose to detect fragrant molecules released by the egg...
7 April 2003
Proton Shape Surprise
Protons - thought to be spherically shaped - can in fact come in a variety of shapes resembling bagels and peanuts...
3 April 2003
Brain Reorganizes After Injury At Any Age
No matter when the brain is injured - early in life, in middle age, or later - it shows a remarkable ability to reorganize to help the body recover normal motor functions...
31 March 2003
Global Warming Could Trigger Cascade Of Climatic Changes
Global warming and the partial melting of polar ice sheets could dramatically affect not only sea levels but also Earth's climate, in ways that may be complex, rapid and difficult to adjust to...
27 March 2003
Giant Fungus Challenges Traditional Ideas Of Individuality
About the size of 1600 football fields, The world's biggest fungus, in Oregon's Blue Mountains, is challenging traditional notions of what constitutes an individual...
24 March 2003
Solar Trend Could Change Climate
According to NASA, the amount of solar radiation the sun emits has increased by nearly .05 percent per decade since the late 1970s...
20 March 2003
Genetic Link May Explain ADHD And Gulf War Syndrome
Researchers have identified a gene that may link certain pesticides and chemical weaponry to the elusive Gulf War syndrome and attention deficit disorder...
17 March 2003
Grabbable Objects Grab Attention
Objects we typically associate with grasping, such as screwdrivers, forks or pens, automatically attract our visual attention...
13 March 2003
Sense Of Smell Linked To Depression
A portion of the brain that helps us respond to odors and process emotions may be malfunctioning in severely depressed individuals...
10 March 2003
Putting A Spin On Earth's Weather
Constantly changing winds and atmospheric pressure systems may be affecting how our planet rotates on its axis...
6 March 2003
Genetic Basis For Human-Primate Differences Found
Genomic rearrangements discovered using DNA microarrays are expected to reveal genetic regions important to human health...
3 March 2003
Stardust Under The Microscope
For the first time, scientists have identified and analyzed single grains of silicate stardust in the laboratory...
27 February 2003
Quantum Entanglement Of Three Electrons Achieved
Scientists have demonstrated the quantum entanglement of three electrons using an ultrafast optical pulse and a quantum well of magnetic semiconductor material...
24 February 2003
Fossils Reveal Effects Of Global Warming
Uncertainties about climate change and the impact of human activity make it difficult to predict the effects of global warming but the past does offer clues...
20 February 2003
The Curse Of Intelligence
Diplomats and politicians would do well to remember that humans may have nuclear technology but still only possess stone-age brains...
17 February 2003
A Revolution In Evolution
Darwin may have been wrong about sex. Or at least too narrow minded. There is growing evidence that Darwin's idea of sexual selection requires sweeping revisions...
13 February 2003
Global Warming Causes Genetic Changes
For the first time, an animal species has changed its genetic make-up to cope with global warming...
30 January 2003
Fixing DNA Damage
Scientists have discovered a new biochemical process that helps cells in the body respond to DNA damage, such as that caused by radiation, toxins or free radicals...
27 January 2003
Nature vs Nurture Debate Goes Public
Advocates of genetic determinism - contesting that human behavior has been programmed into the human genome by natural selection - square off against two prominent scientists in a lively debate over "nature vs. nurture"...
23 January 2003
Re-Discovered Records Confirm Rising Sea Level
The discovery of long-lost records in the archives of the Royal Society has provided further evidence that sea levels are rising...
20 January 2003
Ants The Oldest Farmers
Fungus farming ants not only grow gardens underground for food but have adapted to handling parasitic "weeds" that infect their crops...
16 January 2003
Re-Evolving Wings
A group of insects lost the ability to fly and then re-evolved it 50 million years later - which means the theory of evolution itself must continue to change...
13 January 2003
Radiation Resistant Organism Reveals Its Secrets
Scientists have found what makes the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans the most radiation-resistant organism in the world: it's in the DNA...
9 January 2003
Polar Bear Headed For Extinction
Unless the pace of global warming is abated, polar bears could disappear within 100 years, says an expert in Arctic ecosystems...
6 January 2003
More Global Warming Effects Identified
Increases in the height of the tropopause over the past two decades are directly linked to ozone depletion and increased greenhouse gases...