USA TODAY articles from June 2008

USA TODAY archives from June 2008

Pitching the science of baseball physics.(Kinesiology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Big league hitters will tell you that a fastball rises, or that it has "hop." A Purdue University professor is not so sure. The physics of baseball can throw fans a curveball, says a professor of health and...

Corn-based ethanol damages environment.(Biofuels)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Biofuels widely are considered one of the most promising sources of renewable energy by policy-makers and environmentalists alike. However, unless principles and standards for production are developed and...

Does EPA need to be more stringent?(Ozone)(Environmental Protection Agency)
June 1, 2008... The announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency that it will enact less stringent ground-level ozone standards than those recommended by its scientific advisory committee, "continues the Administration's practice of not listening to...

Heat is on Amazonian small farmers.(Droughts)
June 1, 2008... Amazonian small farmers' responses to climate change shows they are vulnerable to natural catastrophes and risky land use practices, indicate anthropologists Eduardo Brondizio and Emilio Moran of Indiana University, Bloomington. They report...

Smell of the sea can cool climate.(Oceanography)(dimethylsulfoniopropionate)
June 1, 2008... An ocean odor that affects global climate also gathers reef fish to feed as they "eavesdrop" on events that might lead them to food, according to a study by the University of California, Davis. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is given off by...

Exposing plants to electricity can boost production of useful plant chemicals and may provide a cheaper, safer, and more efficient method for producing medicines, pesticides, and other commercially important plant-based materials, report scientists at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.(SCIENCE SCENE)
June 1, 2008... Exposing plants to electricity can boost production of useful plant chemicals and may provide a cheaper, safer, and more efficient method for producing medicines, pesticides, and other commercially important plant-based materials, report...

The 1600 volcanic eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru had a global impact on human society, according to a study of contemporary records by geologists at the University of California, Davis.(SCIENCE SCENE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The 1600 volcanic eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru had a global impact on human society, according to a study of contemporary records by geologists at the University of California, Davis. The eruption is known to have put a large amount of...

A national movement--led by Michael F. Buckley, a University at Buffalo (N.Y.) lecturer--is underway to change the way computer science is taught in college.(SCIENCE SCENE)
June 1, 2008... A national movement--led by Michael F. Buckley, a University at Buffalo (N.Y.) lecturer--is underway to change the way computer science is taught in college. His computer students learn about Buddhism, read The Tao of Pooh, visit a center for...

Combinations of drugs--what doctors call "drug cocktails"--have proven highly effective in treating some diseases, such as AIDS.(SCIENCE SCENE)(acquired immune deficiency syndrome)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Combinations of drugs--what doctors call "drug cocktails"--have proven highly effective in treating some diseases, such as AIDS. Yet, finding just the right drug and dosage mixture that provides optimum results can be a daunting task, given the...

A newly defined biochemical pathway in plants may provide the scientific tools to design vegetation that will yield larger quantities of alternative transportation fuels than currently can be produced, according to researchers at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.(SCIENCE SCENE)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A newly defined biochemical pathway in plants may provide the scientific tools to design vegetation that will yield larger quantities of alternative transportation fuels than currently can be produced, according to researchers at Purdue...

Plant pathogen linked to human virus.(Bioengineering)
June 1, 2008... Research that links specific pieces of RNA to an infectious organism's duplication and spread could lead the way to the prevention of viroids, pathogens that can kill or damage food crops and other plants. The findings and the research approach...

George Washington Carver: a mighty vision beyond peanuts: "we are the architects of our own fortune and the hewers out of our own destiny.".(Environmentalism)(Biography)
June 1, 2008... Many people today know George Washington Carver (1861-1943) largely from the myths that have grown around him. The fact is, he did not invent peanut butter; it had existed in many cultures for centuries--neither did he create 300 new products...

What are the chances of turning Neanderthal?(Human Development)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... There is added evidence that chance, rather than natural selection, best explains why the skulls of modern humans and ancient Neanderthals evolved differently. The findings of anthropologist Tim Weaver of the University of California, Davis,...

Big-brained primates develop more slowly.(Evolution)
June 1, 2008... Some primates have evolved big brains because their extra brainpower helps them live and reproduce longer, an advantage that outweighs the demands of extra years of growth and development they spend reaching adulthood, anthropologists from...

Five million years in the Cradle of Mankind.(Paleontology)
June 1, 2008... Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind, the birthplace of coffee, and the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Some 5,000,000 years of this country's diverse history and culture can be seen in the exhibition "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden...

Do chimps and humans communicate the same?(Primates)
June 1, 2008... Gestures by chimpanzees are driven by signals emanating from the same part of the brain that humans use to communicate, according to studies conducted at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Ga. Lead researcher William Hopkins,...

Gender differences in language are biological.(Linguistics)
June 1, 2008... Although researchers long have agreed that girls have superior language abilities as compared to boys, until now no one has provided a clear biological basis that accounts for their differences. For the first time--and in unambiguous...

"A Day in Pompeii" recounts fatal eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.(Anthropology)
June 1, 2008... Visitors are transported back 2,000 years in time to experience life and death in ancient Rome thanks to the exhibition, "A Day in Pompeii," which reveals daily life in a city steeped in legend and mystery. Pompeii and its neighboring cities...

More revelations on dinosaur extinction.(Asteroids)
June 1, 2008... The asteroid presumed to have wiped out the dinosaurs struck the Earth with such force that carbon deep in the planet's crust liquified, rocketed skyward, and formed tiny airborne beads that blanketed the planet, say scientists from the U.S.,...

Newly discovered star hidden in plain sight.(Astrophysics)
June 1, 2008... Astronomers have spied a faraway star system that is so unusual--it supposedly was one of a kind--its discovery helped them pinpoint a second one that is much closer to home. Astronomers from Ohio State University, Columbus, and their...

Spectacular aircraft "In Plane View".(Aeronautics)
June 1, 2008... "In Plane View" contains 56 large-format photographs by Carolyn Russo showcasing the aesthetic quality of some of the National Air and Space Museum's iconic aircraft. With close-up facets, sculptural forms, and lifelike elements, "In Plane...

New nanovalve to deliver targeted drugs.(Nanotechnology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... We encounter valves every day, whether in a water faucet, automobile carburetor, or bicycle tire tube. Valves also are present in the world of nanotechnology. A team of researchers headed by J. Fraser Stoddart and Jeffrey I. Zink at the...

Black bear, black bear what do you see?(Wildlife)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Discovering Black Bears is a recently published book that explores the natural history of the American black bear, as well as its behavior and habitat. Some interesting facts include: * Bears weigh about half a pound at birth. When there is...

Fertilization discovery makes vaccine possible.(Malaria)
June 1, 2008... International investigations of an organism that one researcher calls a "silly little green scum" have led to key insights into the basic mechanisms of reproduction. The findings may help explain why species almost never can interbreed, and...

Shona: Spirits in Stone Art & Animals from Africa.(African Wildlife)
June 1, 2008... "Art and animals form a primal connection in man's development and evolution," says Jim Stone, vice president of Public Programs at the San Diego Natural History Museum. "Some of the earliest expressions of art reflect man's relationship to the...

Data processing through a fly's eye.(Insects)(blowfly)
June 1, 2008... Blowflies can be nearly impossible to swat. The tiny acrobats--nicknamed the "Ferrari of the insect world"--zip and zoom at relatively high speeds wherever they go. Now we know why. New insight into how blowflies process visual information has...

Wandering albatrosses follow their nose.(Birds)
June 1, 2008... The first study of how individual wandering albatrosses find food shows that the birds rely heavily on their sense of smell. The birds can pick up a scent from several miles away, U.S. and French researchers have found. "This is the first time...

First pest insect to have genome sequenced.(Red Flour Beetle)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Most of us hate to find the red flour beetle living happily in the flour sack in our pantries, but for several scientists at Kansas State University, Manhattan, and many others throughout the world, this pest of stored grain and grain products...

Pigs replace mice in search for cure clues.(Cystic Fibrosis)
June 1, 2008... Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in Caucasians. The median life span for those with this malady is 36 years, and lung disease is the major cause of mortality. For years, scientists have studied cystic fibrosis using mice in...

Iron membrane thrives at high temperatures.(Fuel Cells)
June 1, 2008... A new type of membrane based on tiny iron particles appears to address one of the major limitations exhibited by current power-generating fuel cell technology. While there are many types of fuel cells, in general, they generate electricity as...

New blood vessels from hair follicles.(Stem Cells)
June 1, 2008... For a rich source of stem cells to be engineered into new blood vessels or skin tissue, clinicians may one day look no further than the hair on their patient's heads, according to research published by University at Buffalo (N.Y.) engineers....

Eco-friendly fireworks fueled by nitrogen.(Pyrotechnics)
June 1, 2008... You know it is chemistry when it stinks and goes boom--and entrances us. "No other application in the field of chemistry has such a positive association for the general population as fireworks," says Thomas Klapotke of the University of Munich,...

Solar power starts to sizzle.(Alternative Energy)
June 1, 2008... Global production of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells increased 51% in 2007, to 3,733 megawatts, according to a report from the Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C., and Prometheus Institute, Cambridge, Mass. More than 2,935 megawatts (MW) of...

The winds of change: global wind power capacity continues to skyrocket.(Ecology)
June 1, 2008... Global installed wind power topped 100,000 megawatts in March. In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts--enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of...