Nature News
Computer circuit builds itself
Organic molecules organize themselves to form a bridge between electrodes.
No more third time lucky
NIH clamps down on proposal resubmissions.
The death of microarrays?
High-throughput gene sequencing seems to be stealing a march on microarrays. Heidi Ledford looks at a genome technology facing intense competition.
Snapshot: Green ham (no eggs)
This year's chemistry Nobel.
Pakistan's education head is asked to resign
Europe plans fewer free emissions allowances
Harvard gift paves way for bioengineering institute
'Manipulated' stem-cell paper faces retraction
UN agency warns of biofuel production implications
Cassini makes successful swoop on Enceladus
Agriculture: Is China ready for GM rice?
In an effort to avoid a food crisis as the population grows, China is putting its weight behind genetically modified strains of the country's staple food crop. Jane Qiu explores the reasons for the unprecedented push.
Particle physics: Sam Ting's last fling
The International Space Station's one chance of scientific greatness rests on a high-profile refugee from the world of the particle accelerator #20; but is it too long a shot to be worth taking? Eric Hand reports.
Palaeontology: School of rock
Native Americans want to claim fossil resources found on their lands. Rex Dalton looks at how tribes and palaeontologists are working together to avoid bitter ownership disputes.
Monkeys move paralysed muscles with their minds
Sending brain signals through electrodes to a paralysed wrist muscle restores movement.
New law threatens Italian research jobs
Scientists protest over government's cost cutting.
TheScientist
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New Scientist
Colliding rocks and curious comets: The week in space
In the past week, a small space rock hit Earth and astronomers released images of a mysterious comet and seasons on Uranus


Dwarf planet's body parts litter outer solar system
The icy world Haumea has led a violent life – its body parts keep turning up in the distant Kuiper belt


'Missing link' fossil stuck its neck out
The transitional fossil, Tiktaalik, that bridges the gap between swimming fish and four-legged land-dwelling animals could lift its head and peer around


Roving brain electrodes reverse paralysis in monkeys
The success gives hope that electrodes that seek out nerve cells in the brain could let humans control their limbs again following spinal injuries


Fish out of water: Tiktaalik could survey the land
Another part of the fossilised creature that captures the evolutionary time when fish first left the sea has been uncovered


Man 'roused from coma' by a magnetic field
Treating the brain with rapidly changing magnetic fields has helped a man in a coma-like state to communicate


American icons aren't the animals they used to be
Do hybrid wolf-coyotes, grizzly-polar bears and cattle-bison deserve protection - and are we to blame for their existence?
American icons aren't the animals they used to be
Do hybrid wolf-coyotes, grizzly-polar bears and cattle-bison deserve protection - and are we to blame for their existence?


Grieving voles hint at why human relationships last
When monogamous vole couples are parted, their stress systems go into overdrive - could the stress of separation keep humans together?


Invention: Natural colour underwater photographs
A camera with multiple flashes that can judge distance can take pictures underwater without a blue cast, claims a new patent application


Giant lens could clean up dusty moon sites
Melting the lunar surface with focused sunlight could create dust-free landing areas and sites for future bases, says NASA


Viewing animals like shares reveals vanishing species
While prospects for the world's mammals appear as grim as ever, a novel census method reveals how less prominent groups of species are faring (full text available to subscribers)


Never gamble with an autistic opponent
An experimental game with cash stakes suggests that people with high- functioning autism are less swayed by emotional bias than non-autistics


Pharmaceutical freebies may harm children
Drug samples commonly given to children to save money are more likely to pose safety concerns than paid-for treatments (full text available to subscribers)


Oldest cases of human TB found beneath the sea
The well-preserved bones of a 9000-year-old woman and child give up DNA that indicates they had the human form of the disease


NASA to reboot Hubble Space Telescope
An equipment failure hobbled the telescope two weeks ago – NASA will attempt a fix on Wednesday


Star-hugging planet is hottest and fastest found
A Jupiter-sized planet whips around its star just once per day and is heated to 2250 °C – as hot as some stars


How bad vibes can catch you a worm
A traditional way of bringing earthworms to the surface with grunting noises, and noted by Darwin, has finally been explained


Seals' muscles hide a built-in scuba tank
Elephant seals' ability to stop breathing while they sleep has shed light on their capacity to hold their breath on long dives


Astronauts' sons greet each other in space
A Soyuz craft carrying a NASA astronaut's son has docked with the space station, which is home to a cosmonaut's son


Cheap lenses could revolutionise quantum networks
A new way to force single atoms and photons to meet should help the development of fast, secure quantum computer networks


Gallery: Artists explore the state of our planet
See pictures of electricity-generating moths and polar bears with jet packs – images meant to encourage imaginative solutions to environmental problems


Coastal wetlands may not impede hurricane storm surges
Unreliable methods for gauging the depth of floodwaters weaken the argument that coastal marshes provide a storm shield for communities


Did ancient river channels guide humans out of Africa?
The Sahara is a huge obstacle for anyone wanting to leave the continent, but new evidence suggests a wetter climate may have helped


Social melting pots foster technological innovation
Larger cities generate innovation as they increase social networking between very different types of people


Science Daily
World's Oldest Fossil Impression Of Flying Insect Discovered: Found In Suburban Strip Mall
While paleontologists may scour remote, exotic places in search of prehistoric specimens, Tufts researchers have found what they believe to be the world's oldest whole-body fossil impression of a flying insect in a wooded field behind a strip mall in North Attleboro, Mass.
Marijuana Use Takes Toll On Adolescent Brain Function, Research Finds
Brain imaging shows that the brains of teens that use marijuana are working harder than the brains of their peers who abstain from the drug.
Nanodiamond Drug Device Could Transform Cancer Treatment
Researchers have developed a promising nanomaterial-based biomedical device that could be used to deliver chemotherapy drugs locally to sites where cancerous tumors have been surgically removed. The team demonstrated that the flexible microfilm device, which resembles a piece of plastic wrap and can be customized easily into different shapes, releases the chemotherapy agent doxorubicin in a sustained and consistent manner. The device takes advantage of nanodiamonds, an emergent technology.
Key Mechanism Regulating Neural Stem Cell Development Uncovered
Scintists have discovered a novel mechanism that regulates how neural stem cells of the retina generate the appropriate cell type at the right time during normal development. These findings could influence the development of future cell replacement therapies for genetic eye diseases that cause blindness.
New Comet Discovered By Canadian Astronomer
Rob Cardinal was looking for an asteroid, but ended up finding a comet. There is not much known yet about the Cardinal comet. Scientists are trying to determine more information about its orbit, whether its passing by Earth is periodic or whether it will only come by the sun once, which would mean its orbit is parabolic.
What Do You Know? Not As Much As You Think
We've all met know-it-alls -- people who think they know more than they actually do. If they're talking about products, like wine or motorcycles, they might actually know as much as they think. But when it comes to health plans, social policy, or nutrition, they might not, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
New Evidence Provides An Alternative Route 'Out Of Africa' For Early Humans
The widely held belief that the Nile valley was the most likely route out of sub-Saharan Africa for early modern humans 120,000 year ago is challenged. A new team shows that wetter conditions reached a lot further north than previously thought, providing a wet 'corridor' through Libya for early human migrations. The results also help explain inconsistencies between archaeological finds.
Protein Made In Liver Restores Blood Glucose In Type 1 Diabetes Model
A protein made by the liver in response to inflammation and used to treat patients suffering from a genetic form of emphysema has been shown to restore blood glucose levels in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes mellitus, according to a new study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Neurons In Zebrafish May Reveal Clues To The Wiring Of The Human Ear
Developing neurons tend to play the field, making more connections than they will ever need. Then the weakest are cut. But scientists now show that neurons in young zebrafish -- vertebrates, like humans -- behave differently: They immediately find a cluster of specialized cells and make the right match. The findings may help reveal the mechanism by which analogous cells are wired in the human ear and eventually help those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Memory Improves If Neurons Are New
The birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) does not end completely during development but continues throughout all life in two areas of the adult nervous system, i.e. subventricular zone and hippocampus. Recent research has shown that hippocampal neurogenesis is crucial for memory formation. These studies, however, have not yet clarified how the newborn neurons are integrated in the existing circuits and thus contribute to new memories formation and to the maintenance of old ones.
Dramatically Extending Lifetime Of Organic Solar Cells
Scientists have developed a method to stabilize the nanomorphology of organic solar cells resulting in a lifetime improvement of at least a factor 10. With these stabilized solar cells, efficiencies were achieved comparable to state-of-the-art organic solar cells. This breakthrough paves the way to commercial organic solar cells with an operational lifetime of over 5 years and efficiencies of over 10%.
Pajama Gamblers Could Lose Their Shirts: Online Gambling Can Be Dangerously Comfortable
People who gamble from the comfort of their home tend to think they're more in control of their gambling than people who gamble in casinos, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Challenge To Discover Antarctica’s Hidden World
Later this month teams of scientists, engineers, pilots and support staff from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), USA, Germany, Australia, China and Japan will join forces for one of the most scientifically, technically ambitious and physically demanding Antarctic projects yet to be undertaken.
Ancient Chinese Salad Plant Transformed Into New Cancer-killing Compound
Researchers have updated a traditional Chinese medicine to create a compound that is more than 1,200 times more specific in killing certain kinds of cancer cells than currently available drugs, heralding the possibility of a more effective chemotherapy drug with minimal side effects.
Turning Freshwater Farm Ponds Into Crab Farms
Biologist are working to grow and harvest blue crabs from freshwater ponds, instead of from the sea.
Herbal Menopause Therapy A Good Fit For Breast Cancer Patients?
When it comes to understanding the effectiveness and safety of using herbal therapies with other drugs, much is unknown. Now, a researcher will study how black cohosh -- an herbal supplement often used to relieve hot flashes in menopausal women -- interacts with tamoxifen, a common drug used to treat breast cancer.
Smart Solutions Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Better house envelopes, more efficient energy supply systems, and use of biofuels for heating buildings would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. Buildings account for 36% of Sweden’s energy consumption, and many homes are still heated with electricity. Existing houses therefore have a key role to play in reducing the use of electricity in Sweden.
Filling In The Blanks: Consumers Want Complete Information To Make Choices
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines the way consumers behave when information about a purchase is incomplete. The study suggests that there are ways for marketers to reduce the number of customers who leave empty handed.
Did Termites Help Katrina Destroy New Orleans Floodwalls And Levees?
A new article suggests that Formosan subterranean termites played a large role in the destruction of floodwalls and levees during Hurricane Katrina.
Critical Genetic Link Found Between Human Taste Differences And Nicotine Dependence
Researchers report that two interacting genes related to bitter taste sensitivity, TAS2R16 and TAS2R38, play an important role in a person's development of nicotine dependence and smoking behavior. The researchers found that people with higher taste sensitivity aren't as likely to become dependent on nicotine as people with decreased taste sensitivity.
Surface Tension Drives Segregation Within Cell Mixtures
What does a mixture of two different kinds of cells have in common with a mixture of oil and water? The same basic force causes both mixtures to separate into two distinct regions. That is the conclusion of a new 3-D computer model of the cell sorting process.
Insight On Common Heart Rhythm Disorder
Researchers have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease. While the newly discovered gene variant is rare, the study provides insight into cellular mechanisms that regulate sinus node function and identifies an unanticipated new pathway for developing future therapies to regulate more common forms of sinus node disease.
Early-stage Gene Transcription Creates Access To DNA
An international team of researchers, probing how a yeast cell senses its cellular environment and makes decisions about whether or not to express a gene, finds the process of transcribing non-coding RNAs is required for the eventual production of the protein-encoding RNA. The transient synthesis of these non-coding RNAs serves to unfurl the tightly wound DNA, essentially loosening the structure to allow for gene expression.
Landmark Study Links Sleep, Memory Problems In Elderly African-Americans
A landmark study shows that African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems -- raising the possibility that identifying and treating sleep difficulties in the elderly may help preserve their cognitive functioning. The study is the first to examine the link between sleep and cognitive functioning in older African-Americans.
Both Genetic And Environmental Factors Contribute To The Process Of Disability Retirement
The research findings of the new study clarify the complex process and the risk factors of work disability. The Finnish research group found a moderate genetic contribution to the variation of disability retirement.
Targeting Space Debris Using Networks
How to deal with the ever-increasing problem of space debris, poses a major challenge for space agencies, industry and academia around the globe. Now, research suggests a new technique for identifying key pieces of debris that should be targeted for removal from orbit.
Discovery May Lead To Treatment For Neurodegenerative Diseases
Over the past several decades, many laboratories have studied the communication between nerve cells and muscle fibers that are crucial to form and maintain neuromuscular synapses. Now, researchers have found that a protein named Lrp4 is the missing link that allows communication between two crucial molecules -- one derived from the nerve and the other from muscle -- that enables the formation of the synapse.
Bays On US Gulf Coast Vulnerable To Flooding
The most comprehensive geological review ever undertaken of the upper US Gulf Coast suggests that a combination of rising seas and dammed rivers could flood large swaths of wetlands this century in one or more bays from Alabama to Texas. The findings stem from bayfloor sediment samples, radiocarbon tests and seismic surveys compiled over 30 years.
New Therapeutic Treatment Approach Improves Survival In Esophageal Cancer Patients
A new study has found that a new therapeutic treatment, when delivered endoscopically and used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, improved survival rates in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Cancer of the esophagus often has a poor survival rate.
Time Of Day Influences Yield For Pharmacologically Stimulated Stem Cell Mobilization
A new study uncovers a previously unrecognized, species-specific impact of circadian rhythms on the production of mobilized stem cells. The research suggests that when it comes to collecting human stem cells for clinical transplantation, picking the right time of day to harvest cells may result in a greater yield.
How Are Children Choosing Their Food Portions?
Researchers are trying to pinpoint the factors that affect how much food a child eats, to stave off unhealthy relationships with food later in life.
Lunar Prospecting Robot To Be Field Tested On Hawaii's Mauna Kea
The cool, rocky slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is Hawaii's highest mountain, will serve as a stand-in for the moon as researchers test a robot designed for lunar prospecting.
Why Sufferers From Alzheimer's Disease Might Have Lower Blood Pressure
A new study proposes that some people suffering from Alzheimer's disease experience a reduction in their high blood pressure because of cognitive decline.
How 'Sandfish' Swim: Could Help Materials Handling And Process Technology Specialists
It moves as quickly in sand as a fish moves through water, which is why this lizard, a species of skink (Scincus scincus) that grows to about 15 cm long and lives in the deserts of North Africa and the Near East, is commonly known by the name "sandfish."
New Risk Factor For Prostate Cancer
The greater the levels of a protein called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), the greater the risk of prostate cancer, a new study has found.
Genome Of A Monkey-human Malaria Parasite
Researchers have decoded the genome of a malaria parasite that infects humans and monkeys. Human infection with P. knowlesi was first reported just over 40 years ago. It is the fifth and emerging human malaria parasite: recent surveys that many P. knowlesi infections have been misdiagnosed, underestimating its prevalence. The genome sequence reveals a dramatic example of 'molecular mimicry' that is likely to be crucial for survival and propagation of the parasite in the body.
When Seeing IS Believing
New research published in the journal Science explains why individuals seek to find and impose order on an unruly world through superstition, rituals and conspiratorial explanations by linking a loss of control to individual perceptions.
Despite 'Peacenik' Reputation, Bonobos Hunt And Eat Other Primates, Too
Unlike the male-dominated societies of their chimpanzee relatives, bonobo society -- in which females enjoy a higher social status than males -- has a "make-love-not-war" kind of image. While chimpanzee males frequently band together to hunt and kill monkeys, the more peaceful bonobos were believed to restrict what meat they do eat to forest antelopes, squirrels and rodents.
Scientists Trigger Cancer-like Response From Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells' behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior.
Rising Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice, Climate
A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change.
Noxious Gas Stove Emissions Worsen Asthma Symptoms In Young Children
Scientists report that high levels of a noxious gas from stoves can be added to the list of indoor pollutants that aggravate asthma symptoms of inner-city children, especially preschoolers.
Computers That Understand How You Feel
A navigation system able to provide emergency services with the quickest route while at the same time taking stress into account; this is an example of a new type of dialogue system just developed. The dialogue system recognizes the user’s emotions and is able to react to them.
Soothing Music Reduces Stress, Anxiety And Depression During Pregnancy
Music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women, according to research just published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Playing Pinball With Atoms: How To Turn Nanotech Devices On And Off
With nanotechnology yielding a burgeoning menagerie of microscopic pumps, motors, and other machines for potential use in medicine and industry, here is one good question: How will humans turn those devices on and off?
Men Who Never Smoke Live Longer, Better Lives Than Heavy Smokers
Health-related quality of life appears to deteriorate as the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, even in individuals who subsequently quit smoking, according to new research.
Pectin Power: Why Fruits And Vegetables May Protect Against Cancer's Spread
Scientists from the UK's Institute of Food Research have found a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers. They have shown that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3, a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression.
Caffeine Consumption Not Associated With Breast Cancer Risk In Most Women, Study Suggests
Caffeine consumption does not appear to be associated with overall breast cancer risk, according to a new report. However, there is a possibility of increased risk for women with benign breast disease or for tumors that are hormone-receptor negative or larger than 2 centimeters.
NASA's Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit For Extended Mission
The longest-serving of six spacecraft now studying Mars is up to new tricks for a third two-year extension of its mission to examine the most Earthlike of known foreign planets. NASA's Mars Odyssey is altering its orbit to gain even better sensitivity for its infrared mapping of Martian minerals. During the mission extension through September 2010, it will also point its camera with more flexibility than it has ever used before. Odyssey reached Mars in 2001.
BBC Science/Nature
Ray of hope for the red squirrel
Some red squirrels have developed immunity to a deadly disease carried by grey squirrels, scientists find.
Mind power moves paralysed limbs
Scientists show it is possible to harness brain signals and redirect them to make paralysed limbs move.
Expedition set for 'ghost peaks'
Scientists prepare to survey Antarctica's Gamburtsev mountain range - one of Earth's most enigmatic mountain groups.
Climate concern as EU meets
Environmentalists fear an EU summit will see climate change plans hit by cost concerns, as financial uncertainty persists.
Aquatic alien 'thugs' set to meet
Scientists believe the ranges of the non-native crayfish and the Chinese mitten crab are set to overlap.
Exotic spiders crawl into the UK
Exotic species of spider are setting up home in the UK, making the best of an increasingly mild climate.
Hubble re-boot expected this week
US space agency officials say the orbiting Hubble telescope should come back online for full science observations on Friday.
Internet use 'good for the brain'
For middle-aged and older people at least, using the internet helps boost brain power, research suggests.
Silver lining - Why climate change could help save some of our most endangered species
Why climate change could help save some of our most endangered species
Sacrificing Millennium Goals would be real crisis
Why economic problems must not derail progress on the Millennium Development Goals, which the UN assesses this week.
Time to fly
Assessing the highs and lows of key wildlife summit
Bizarre visitors
Welcome to the weird world of waterway aliens
Taking stock
Is the action plan to save Earth's frogs working?
Forest capital
Time to recognise the wealth in nature's capital
Shark attack
A potentially potent new tool to combat cancer
Taming waters
South Asia grapples with its inadequate flood defences
'New pathway' for African exodus
Researchers find a possible new route taken by early modern humans as they expanded out of Africa to the rest of the world.
Tourist arrives at space station
A spacecraft carrying a new crew for the International Space Station (ISS) docks with the orbiting outpost.
More using drugs to boost brain
Increasing numbers of people are using prescription drugs to boost alertness and brain power, raising safety and ethical concerns, say experts.
Predators could be superweed fix
A plant-eating predator from Japan could be used to control a superweed spreading throughout the UK, scientists believe.
Gene scan to predict hair loss
Genes that may increase by seven-fold the risk of early baldness amongst men have been uncovered by researchers.
'Nanotech search' for antibiotics
UK researchers are using microscopic "nanoprobes" to find new drugs to tackle antibiotic resistance.
Call for ban on primates as pets
A loophole in UK animal welfare laws that allows primates to be kept as household pets needs to be closed, an MP urges.
Closure call for tuna 'disgrace'
Major tuna-fishing nations - including Spain - back calls for a temporary closure of the Mediterranean tuna fishery.
Forest plan may 'fuel corruption'
The UK prime minister launches a plan to save threatened rainforests - but already it is running into opposition.
Whale deal falls at last minute
Hope for consensus between environmentalists and whalers in Barcelona is derailed by a last-minute Australian intervention.
World 'to fail' on nature target
The world's governments will fail to meet their agreed target of curbing biodiversity loss by 2010, conservationists tell the BBC.
'Yeti hair' belongs to goat
Scientists in the US who examined hairs claimed to belong to a yeti in India say that in fact they belong to a species of Himalayan goat.
New York Times Science
Fossil Fish Shows Complexity of Transition to Land
Scientists are finding striking evidence of the steps by which marine vertebrates evolved into land animals.

The Long Countdown: For U.S. Astronauts, a Russian Second Home
American astronauts have developed mutual respect for their Russian counterparts during years of cooperation.

NASA Ready to Reboot Hubble
After the Hubble Space Telescope shut down two weeks ago, NASA engineers will begin to reboot it Wednesday morning, the space agency said.

A Guiding Glow to Track What Was Once Invisible
Putting green fluorescent protein to practical use earned three scientists a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Scientist at Work | James W. Pennebaker: He Counts Your Words (Even Those Pronouns)
James W. Pennebaker looks at every single word people use — even the tiny ones — and is leading a resurgent interest in text analysis.

Thinking Anew About a Migratory Barrier: Roads
Scientists are coming to understand the marked changes brought by the roads that crisscross the landscape and the effects they have on wildlife.

The Scan That Didn’t Scan
Just as big a problem as the erratic quality of M.R.I. scans is the tendency of doctors and patients to rely on them too much.

Cases: Always a Doctor, Even in the Dying of the Light
My father took pride in keeping up with the latest in medicine, and the functions of his body were fascinating to him in a detached, scientific way.

Worrisome Infection Eludes a Leading Children’s Vaccine
Serotype 19A has become a common cause of meningitis, pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions in young children.

With Little Fuel, Eco-Racers Arrive in Las Vegas
In making it from Berkeley, Calif., to Las Vegas without burning an ounce of petroleum, a duo from Oregon collected a $5,000 prize in the Escape From Berkeley race.

Observatory: The Thrill of the Hunt Is Not Lost on Bonobos
A new study indicates that bonobos conduct group hunts for other primates, behavior that was thought to be specific to the common chimp.

Observatory: Plant Seeds Hitch Rides on Traveling Shoes
Our own feet may help seeds travel for miles.

Vital Signs: Awareness: Better Labels Urged for Caffeine in Drinks
A new study suggests that energy drink labels should list caffeine content and recommended limits, including a warning about use by children.

Vital Signs: Children: Higher Expectations Help Fight Asthma
A new study finds that the higher the parents’ expectations for controlling the asthma, the better their children do.

Vital Signs: Exercise: Program Reduces a Knee Injury in Women
A program of strengthening exercises may help guard against a knee injury that sidelines many female athletes, a study says.

Global Update: Researchers Decode the Genome of Two More Malaria Parasites
Scientists have now sequenced the genomes of two more parasites that cause malaria, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium knowlesi.

Pint-Size Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy
A growing number of “eco-kids,” steeped in environmentalism, are holding their parents accountable.

Observatory: Rising Temperatures May Dry Up Peat Bogs, Causing Carbon Release
Ordinarily peat bogs are a huge carbon sink, but a new study suggests that might not be the case for northern bogs as temperatures rise.

Q & A: Lunar Golf
Why did Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the Moon, and what happened to it?

Personal Health: A Push for Adding B12, Though the Jury Is Out
Recent studies suggest considerable benefits from increased levels of B12, especially in adults over 50, but they cannot prove cause and effect.

Really?: The Claim: A Woman Is More Fertile After a Miscarriage
This popular claim, floated in many online fertility forums, may not hold up.

Well: Healthful Messages, Wrapped in Fiction
A book series aimed at girls that focuses on real-life issues seems to work, one study suggests.

Letters: Diseases and Diagnoses (1 Letter)
To the Editor:.

Letters: The Nuclear Energy Debate (2 Letters)
To the Editor:.

Letters: Fighting Against Cancer (1 Letter)
To the Editor:.

Nature
Making the paper: Redouan Bshary & Olof Leimar
In the cleaning business, two fish are better than one.
Abstractions
Last authorConventional mass production of silicon-based electronics requires many expensive steps. Making electronic circuits from organic molecules that assemble themselves, an idea first proposed in the 1970s, is a major goal of engineering. On page 956, Dago de Leeuw of Philips Research Laboratories
More than one bad apple
A congressional investigation alleges that some researchers have failed to report all the drug-company money that they have received — and that universities may have been too slow to police them.
Cut-throat savings
In an attempt to boost its struggling economy, Italy's government is focusing on easy, but unwise, targets.
Meeting expectations
Scientists need to ask themselves if their meeting or conference is really necessary.
Molecular biology: Zebrafish cell zipcodes
Science doi:10.1126/science.1162493 (2008) A new type of fluorescent microscopy has allowed biologists to reconstruct the early development of the tropical freshwater zebrafish (Danio rerio), a model organism used in labs around the globe.Philipp Keller, Joachim Wittbrodt and
Chemistry: Prion progress
Angew. Chem. Int. Edn47, 8215–8219 (2008) 10.1002/anie.200802161The details of how a non-pathogenic prion protein becomes the agent of Creutzfeld–Jakob disease are obscure, but they may hinge on an 'anchor' made of sugar and lipid by which the
Materials science: Ir