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Click here for most recent story Science magazine
ScienceNOW back to top
WOSU Public Media back to top Honk if you love research: Classic car
donation funds cancer studies (2007.08.09)
A Columbus philanthropist
donates to Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital, but not
merely in dollars. In August, a unique collection of classic Rolls
Royce cars will be auctioned to benefit cancer research.
Right on pitch: How sparrows learn to sing (2007.08.09) Just like human children,
young songbirds need to hear other birds to develop normal
vocalizations. Unlike most sparrows, the diminutive grasshopper sparrow
uses two different songs, which it memorizes in different ways.
Researchers at Ohio State University's Borror Laboratory of
Bioacoustics are working to find out how.
People and animals beat the heat at State Fair (2007.08.06) With the heat index
pushing 100 degrees in Columbus, the allure of state fair can also be a
risky one. Today alone, the fair's first aid staff has tended to 18
heat-related incidents. Fair participants and visitors are taking extra
precautions to keep themselves and their animals safe.
Endangered snake recovers on Lake Erie islands (2007.08.03) An endangered snake is
reclaiming a place on the shores of the Lake Erie islands. A long term
study based at Ohio State University's Stone Lab on Lake Erie monitors
the snake's numbers and habits, as well as its popularity among the
islanders. The researchers' efforts have brought the snake back from
the brink of extinction in less than a decade.
Alien fish bully Lake Erie bass (2007.08.02) With millions of tons of
cargo moving among the Great Lakes each season, it's easy for certain
small passengers to go unnoticed. One of those was the round goby, a
small bug-eyed fish from Eurasia that now swarms the shallow waters of
Lake Erie. An ongoing study, based at Ohio State University's Stone Lab
on Gibraltar Island, documents how the gobies jockey for a position in
the lake's changing ecosystem.
Nanotechnology business comes to Columbus (2007.07.31) A leading nanotechnology
production company is moving to a new facility in Columbus, bringing
with it high paying jobs. Texas-based Zyvex Performance Materials, or
ZPM, will occupy a former mattress factory on the west side of the Ohio
State campus.
Foiled by fractions: Children make more accurate comparisons than adults (2007.07.30) Learning fractions in
elementary school can be pretty traumatic but for all the gnashing of
teeth, it turns out children are intuitively better than adults at
comparing fractions. This ability comes from a youthful misperception
of how numbers are spaced. In one context the misperception turns out
to be helpful.
Ancient village escapes urban sprawl (2007.07.25) What was prime real estate
800 years ago-- still is today. The ancient remains of early
agricultural villages are disappearing beneath Ohio's strip malls and
housing developments. But for one site, the backhoes are on hold. It's
become an outdoor classroom for young archaeologists, and their
discoveries reveal new details of the region's ancient cultures.
CSI Columbus: Students learn forensic science (2007.07.24) A group of high school
students is learning all about crime scene investigation during summer
forensics camp. Ballistics, fingerprints, cadaver dogs, crime scene
photography, and DNA analysis are among the topics in their
action-packed schedule. Forensic camp students investigated a staged
crime scene at Ohio State University's Waterman Farm on Lane Avenue.
Study measures cancer risk from cardiac CT scans (2007.07.17) Doctors often order a
cardiac CT scan to determine whether patients are at risk for heart
attack. While early detection of arterial blockage can save lives, CT
scans also expose patients to X-ray radiation. The radiation itself
bears some risk of cancer. A new study by doctors at Ohio State
University and Mount Sinai Medical Center found a way to measure that
risk.
Landscapers embrace sustainable agriculture (2007.07.17) In the search for secure
and sustainable agriculture, some say organic isn't good enough. An
alternative landscape design system known as permaculture creates
complex local agro-ecosystems. Despite its hippie image in the U.S.,
scientists say permaculture works, and could be headed for the
mainstream. Ohio's first-ever permaculture design certification course
took place at a plant sanctuary in Meigs County.
How to grow a tidy nanoturf (2007.07.16) Self-cleaning windows,
no-fog glasses, and stain-free fabrics just came a step closer to
reality. Researchers at Ohio State University have discovered a way to
coat materials with a transparent layer of very well organized chemical
structures that can attract or repel water or oil or conduct
electricity.
Shocked tomatoes lose their skins (2007.07.11) Researchers at Ohio State
University found a new way to peel fruits and vegetables by placing
them in an electric current. The discovery could make the food
processing industry cleaner and more efficient. (wosu)
Invention makes jet engines quieter (2007.07.02) With nearly seven million
passengers moving through Port Columbus International airport every
year, the jarring sound of airplane noise may be painfully familiar.
NASA expects U.S. air traffic to double or triple by 2025, a projection
that has engineers working hard to silence the roar. Engineers at Ohio
State University have applied for a patent on technology called plasma
actuators that could reduce jet noise.
Summer Mouse, Winter Mouse (2007.06.29) Professor examines effects
of day length on rodents.
Giant gun fires simulated space junk (2007.06.27) Engineers in Dayton have
developed a 45 foot long gun that uses compressed hydrogen and a pound
of gunpowder to shoot aluminum pellets into a vacuum at 20 thousand
miles per hour. It's taken them nine years of gradual progress and
patience to get this one-of-a-kind gun working.
Gene therapy for Parkinson's disease passes first clinical trials (2007.06.21) A new study shows that
gene therapy could be a safe and effective treatment for Parkinson's
disease. It also paves the way toward gene therapies for other
disorders. The results of the study appear in the current issue of the
medical journal The Lancet.
New Research Center Targets Infectious Disease (2007.06.20) The case of a traveler
with XDR tuberculosis recently served as a reminder of the urgent need
for better diagnosis, management and treatment for infectious disease.
Exhibit reveals science of cartoons (2007.06.19) Cartoons have come to COSI
for the summer, where a temporary exhibit reveals the scientific
secrets behind America's favorite animations.
Soy bean aphid arrives early to Ohio (2007.06.18) The soybean aphid has
arrived early to Ohio this year. This tiny insect threatens the yield
of the state's number one field crop-- but it's not time to worry yet.
American Scientist back to top Most recent
In the News (Every issue) This roundup summarizes
some notable recent items about scientific research, selected from news
reports compiled in Sigma Xi’s free electronic newsletters Science in the News Daily and Science in the News Weekly.
Book Review: American Pests: The Losing War on
Insects from Colonial Times to DDT (July-August, 2009) July-August, 2010 link
pdf
May-June, 2010 link pdf March-April, 2010 link January-February, 2010 link pdf November-December, 2009 link pdf September-October, 2009 link pdf July-August, 2009 link pdf May-June, 2009 link pdf March-April, 2009 link pdf Free Upgrades, Unfortunately (November-December, 2006) link pdf Contrary to
infectious-disease dogma, the mutations that enable
bacteria to resist antibiotics do not always result in weaker strains,
according to a study published in the June 30 issue of the journal Science.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute back to top Gilliam Fellow Profile: Krystal R. St. Julien (12 February, 2009) Molecule Shuts Down Food Intake and Turns on "Siesta Mode" (26 November, 2008) The Path to Self-Destruction: How Antibiotics Kill Bacteria (14 November, 2008) News and Observer NCSU News Services Fruit fly aggression studies have relevance
to human, animal populations (19 September,
2006)
Even the tiny,
mild-mannered fruit fly can be a little mean sometimes – especially
when there’s a choice bit of rotten fruit to fight over. And, like people, some flies have shorter tempers than others. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center back to top Conservation
and Evolutionary Relationships
(video podcast) December,
2008
Conservation of an entire
ecosystem is not always possible, but how can we decide which members
of the ecocsystem are most important in maintaining a healthy
ecosystem? Nick Haddad talks about a paper that provides an
effective guideline to conservation of plants based on their
evolutionary relationships.
Orang-utan charades
August, 2007
Orang-utan gestures
demonstrate how the "speaker" adjusts communication depending on the
"listener's" comprehension.
Family tree?
August, 2007
Plants can recognize their
siblings and change their growing patterns in the presence of family.
DNA Dumpster Diving July, 2007Two studies hunt for
useful junk in the human genome, and come up with different answers.
Giant penguins
once swam the tropical seas July, 2007
Newly discovered fossils
reshape the penguin family tree.
Ant highway repair June, 2007 Army ants forage faster
when some workers use their bodies to plug "potholes".
Sexual selection
under duress May, 2007
Safety from predators puts
female crabs in the mood.
Monkey business April, 2007 Rhesus monkeys have told
us a
lot about ourselves over the course of medical and genetic research,
and they're about to tell us even more.
Evolution in
invisible life February,
2007
New methods reveal how
habitat influences microbial evolution
While humans are trying to
decide whether global warming really happening, plants are just trying
to keep up with environmental changes.
Ancient skull raises questions about human
evolution January, 2007
A recently discovered
skull found in a cave in Europe displays both
modern and Neanderthal traits, suggesting the two species may have
hybridized.
Not just
fertilizer... January, 2007
Other Outlets NESCent
Symposium Covers Applied Evolution (26 February, 2009)
For Science magazine's
Origins blog
Old tomatoes, new tricks (1 September, 2005) Entomology professor
develops new mosquito repellent from wild tomato plants
For Technician, the North Carolina State University student newspaper |
