EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE 1400 HOURS (EST)
WEDNESDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2000
ORDER ARTICLE #1: DROP THE PILOT
If jet skis already worry you, the launch in Washington next month of a riderless jet ski controlled by somebody 10 metres behind it could really freak you out. The Solo jet ski is designed to tow a waterskier who controls the vehicle using a keypad. US safety campaigners are already raising concerns about its safety. Page 11
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222532
ORDER ARTICLE #2: LATIN AMERICA
A terracotta head found in Mexico and dated roughly to AD 200 could be the first reliable evidence that the Romans landed in the New World before Columbus. Page 7
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222537
ORDER ARTICLE #3: DRIVE ON
Getting rid of your old lemon and buying an efficient, new car does not always reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By gathering statistics on the entire life cycle of cars, Dutch researchers found that buying a new car can produce more carbon dioxide than just sticking with the old car. Page 21
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222536
ORDER ARTICLE #4: LOOK LIVELY
Mice that have been given Huntingdon's disease stay healthier for longer living in a varied environment with plenty of opportunities for exercise, say neuroscientists at Oxford University. In people, Huntingdon's is strongly genetic and experts had previously thought it was unlikely to be affected by environmental factors. Page 10
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=222531
ORDER ARTICLE #5: PERIOD PROTECTION
Women's hygiene products could help to displace harmful bugs in the urinary tract and vagina. Swedish researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria which they hope can be impregnated into tampons or panty liners to displace harmful bugs known to cause premature births and infect newborns. Page 14
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222534
ORDER ARTICLE #6: DANGER IN EVERY DROP
For over a decade Bangladeshi villagers have been unknowingly drinking water containing arsenic at levels well over the international safety limit. At the centre of the dilemma over what advice to give the local people lies an extraordinary scientific wrangle between British geologists. Pages 16-17
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222529
ORDER ARTICLE #7: CRACKLE AND POP
Reviews this week revealed that digital radios costing hundreds of pounds can make some types of music sound worse than it does on FM radio. New Scientist found out exactly why it goes horribly wrong on the digital airwaves. Page 15
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns222535
ORDER ARTICLE #8: DEEP CLEAN
Genetically modify an ordinary soil bacterium and it will attack tough pollutants. Chemists at Oxford University altered a gene from a common soil bacterium to make an enzyme that attacks chemicals contaminating derelict industrial sites. Page 13
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=222533
ORDER ARTICLE #9: GROW YOUR OWN
We now know that we don't have to walk around with the same brain cells for an entire lifetime-we can grow new ones. But just how many new neurons are born each day? And can we use the ability to grow new nerve cells to help people recover from brain injury? Pages 24-28
http://www.newscientist.com/features/features.jsp?id=ns222520
ORDER ARTICLE #10: AROMATHERAPY
While flower breeders have been concentrating on creating brightly coloured, long-lasting flowers, the scent seems to have slipped away. Molecular biologists are now on the hunt for genes needed to put the fragrance back into flowers and are even trying to develop some brand new floral smells. Pages 30-34
ORDER ARTICLE #11: VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
Flying through the ocean with inverted wings, the Aviator is a far cry from conventional submersibles. The new sub will be faster, cheaper and more manoeuvrable, allowing it to follow dolphins and whales and explore the unexplored depths. Pages 36-39
ORDER ARTICLE #12: ATOMIC ABACUS
Despite its age, the abacus may be able to solve one of the computer industry's most pressing problems. Researchers have built a molecular abacus using buckyballs which promises to increase computer memory to undreamed of levels. Pages 40-43
ORDER ARTICLE #13: REST ASSURED
The insurance industry wants to use the results of genetic tests when assessing how much we should pay in premiums. But Virginia Warren, a consultant at BUPA, says the industry will survive if denied the use of test results--so long as over-the-counter genetic testing was also banned. Pages 48-49
ORDER ARTICLE #14: TURNING BACK THE TIDE
Imagine if your home was a pacific island in danger of being swallowed up by rising sea levels. Nakibae Teuatabo, climate change coordinator for Kiribati in the south Pacific, tells New Scientist about living with the threat of extinction. Pages 44-47
http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opinion.jsp?id=ns222523
GEOGRAPHIC INDEX:
CALIFORNIA: #1
ILLINOIS: #2
NEW JERSEY: #1
TEXAS: #2
WASHINGTON: #1
WASHINGTON, DC: #1, 2, 3
-- ENDS --
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Issue cover date:- 12 FEBRAURY 2000
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