MAGAZINE ISSUE DATE: 21 AUGUST 2004 (Vol. 184 No 2461)
UNSEEN FAILINGS OF PRIMATE RESEARCHAn acute shortage of apes and monkeys available for scientific research could be slowing advances into HIV and drug development. The shortage also forces researchers to perform successive independent studies on the same animals. Science is also suffering because research papers often fail to state the conditions the animals are kept in and their research history - making it difficult to assess the validity of the experiment. These are conclusions from the first ever global audit of non-human primates used in scientific research. NEWS Pages 6-7
AN EYE FOR DANGERA hand-held device that measures the contraction of the pupils of accident victims in response to bright light will help ensure they get the correct treatment. "At the moment you get a paramedic waving a torch at a victim on a wet dark road" , say the British company who built the new device. This 'pupilometer' will be able to produce a lot of accurate data to send ahead to the hospital. NEWS Page 21
PROTECTING COMPUTERS AGAINST 'EVIL' EMAILSA technique originally designed to analyse DNA sequences is the latest weapon in the war against spam. According to its developers at IBM in New York, the algorithm named Chung-Kwei can catch nearly 97 per cent of spam. NEWS Page 23
THE DOOMSDAY WRECKFor 60 years the people of Sheerness in the UK have been living next to a time bomb. A lethal mixture of unstable Second World War bombs " amounting to 1400 tonnes of TNT " is in the rusting wreck of the Richard Montgomery, a US cargo ship which lies half submerged in the Thames estuary. If the cargo explodes, the blast will bring death and devastation to a wide area. Recently released documents reveal that the cargo is anything but safe. New Scientist investigates. FEATURE Pages 34-37
IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY"¦The presence of noisy ecotourists could unexpectedly benefit brown bears in the wild. Researchers found that while male adult bears avoided the tourists, females and their cubs were not deterred, seizing the opportunity to feed free from the threat of dangerous males and infanticide " which helps to boost the population. NEWS BRIEF Page 17
HOW MINDS PLAY TRICKS WITH WORDS AND COLOURSSynaesthesia, a condition in which a person has a mixing of senses, may rely more on the plasticity of the brain than on any genetic predisposition. A study by UK researchers suggests that all of us are capable of having a synaesthetic experience, and that changes to the brain might expose them. NEWS Page 9
UNIQUE MOON MAY PARTNER SEDNAWhen Sedna was discovered in 1993, it was the most distant object ever seen in the solar system and the largest since Pluto was discovered. Now, UK astronomers have calculated that if Sedna has a moon, it must be more like a gigantic extinct comet than a planetary body, and is possibly the darkest object in the solar system. NEWS Page 16
UK CLONERS TARGET DIABETES CURELast week the UK granted its first licence allowing scientists to try to clone human cells for research. A few critics denounced the plans as unethical and unnecessary. New Scientist reports on the valuable insights such work could offer, such as studying diabetes and other diseases. NEWS Pages 8-9
SNAKES IN SUITSCould one in a hundred of us be a psychopath? Psychologists are now suggesting that psychopathic tendencies are far more widespread than the prison population or criminal records suggest. Psychopathy, is a spectrum of character traits, milder forms of which could even be useful and adaptive, it could also define a leader or a tycoon. Look out, you might be sharing your office with one. FEATURE Pages 40-43
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME"¦Somewhere in our universe, a new big bang is waiting to happen. It probably won't go off during our lifetime, or even during the lifetimes of all the stars in the galaxy. But then again, it could happen tomorrow. It could happen on your kitchen table while you're eating breakfast. FEATURE Pages 34-35
INTEMPERATE SOCIETYThink of a binge drinker and you probably see a beer-swilling lout. But that's only half the story. Most people don't consider themselves binge drinkers but if you've ever drunk three pints of beer in two hours, you are. Binge drinking is on the up and it is seriously compromising our health. It is now clear that what is important about alcohol is not just how much you drink but how you drink it. FEATURE Pages 28-33
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NewScientist is the world's leading science and technology news weekly, boasting a circulation of 145,000. The magazine is now available to readers worldwide, with US and Australian editions of NewScientist now being published. Visit our public website for further stories on our daily online news service: www.newscientist.com
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