Current Science, a Weekly Reader publication articles from February 2002

Current Science, a Weekly Reader publication archives from February 2002

Holy cow! (insight).(cownosed rays cause damage to oyster farms in Chesapeake Bay)
February 8, 2002... No, this isn't a character from the next installment of Star Wars. It's a resident of Earth called a cownosed ray. Cownosed rays live in the western Atlantic Ocean and have lately been making trouble in Chesapeake Bay, an ocean inlet near...

Yesterday once more.(scientific discoveries and inventions from the past)
February 8, 2002... 75 YEARS of CURRENT SCIENCE May 16-20, 1927 Several New York City schools adopted an unusual tool for erasing blackboards--the vacuum cleaner May 16-20, 1927 The U.S. government developed a mechanical finger for determining the...

The anthrax threat: are harmful microbes set to become the newest weapons of war? (Health/Life).
February 8, 2002... After being traumatized on September 11 by the worst terrorist attacks in its history, the United States was jolted by a second menace. Several mysterious letters were mailed to prominent journalists and politicians. The letters contained a...

Will smallpox be the next bioweapon?
February 8, 2002... U.S. health officials are concerned that an ancient disease called smallpox may become a terrible bioweapon. Smallpox is caused by a virus that, unlike anthrax, spreads easily from person to person, generally through coughing or sneezing. About...

High dive: world-renowned skydiver Cheryl Stearns is preparing for the highest jump of her career--a record-breaking leap from Earth's upper stratosphere! (Earth/Physical).
February 8, 2002... Cheryl Stearns aims to go boldly where no human has ever gone before in a balloon: 40 kilometers (25 miles) up into the atmosphere. From there, she'll take a death-defying leap back to Earth at supersonic speed--faster than the speed of sound....

The quake makers: could scientists prevent big earthquakes by inducing millions of miniquakes? (Earth).
February 8, 2002... Every year while I was growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, my classmates and I were warned that the "big one" was sure to hit soon. The "big one" was an earthquake so powerful it would knock down our homes and destroy our roads. There...

She-male snakes need their love to keep them warm. (discoveries).(mating behaviour of garter snakes)
February 8, 2002... NARCISSE, Canada--One of nature's strangest spectacles happens every spring in southern Manitoba. Tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes emerge from their underground hibernation dens and engage in "mating balls." The male red-sided...

Hurling attacks strike teen. (discoveries).(teenager is diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome)
February 8, 2002... CHICAGO--When Lauren Danforth, 15, first began having vomiting spells more than a year ago, her doctors didn't have a clue what was wrong with her. Lauren would vomit up to 20 times a day, but medical tests failed to turn up anything that might...

Human sweat kills bugs dead. (discoveries).(scientists discover that human sweat helps control harmful bacteria and fungi)
February 8, 2002... TUBINGEN, Germany--The human body is a high-rise apartment building for bugs. Bacteria, mites, and sometimes lice and fleas make their happy homes on us. Now a team of German researchers has discovered that the human high-rise has what...

Rescue hovercraft designed for towering infernos.(development of aircraft for rescuing people from skyscrapers)
February 8, 2002... ASHDOD, Israel--In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, security experts are trying to develop new ways of rescuing people from burning skyscrapers. One idea is a platform capable of flying vertically and hovering...

Too weird: did pocket monster panic strike Japan?(how a cartoon television programme may have made children feel sick)
February 8, 2002... Do you remember the shocking Pokemon news story from Japan four years ago? Shortly after an episode of the popular TV series aired on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 1997, more than 600 children were rushed to hospitals complaining of nausea, shortness of...

Professor ask Ossolotch.(origins of the term blue moon)
February 8, 2002... Why is the second full moon in a month called a blue moon? --Ryan Dettaai Cedar Grove, Wis. Dear Ryan, The origin of the term blue moon isn't clear. Over the past 400 years, blue moon has had several meanings. In the 1600s, it...

Bend your mind. (Optricks).(math problem)
February 8, 2002... Which of the numbers in the square does not belong there? Why? 16 28 14 44 24 52 48 8 40 4 64 36 12 32 56 20 The answers are in the Teacher's Guide. Mindbender The number 14 is the odd one...