ORDER #1: SPECIAL NEWS REPORT ON GM FOODS, WEEK
TWO:
As Britain's GM food crisis entered its second week, the focus shifted
from health to the environment. New Scientist continues its
extended coverage of the latest scientific findings, and reveals that
opponents of GM crops are ignoring an equally significant potential
environmental hazard. See Editorial plus page 4
ORDER #2: ACNE AND ECSTASY:
A rash on the face that looks like acne could identify ecstasy users who
are in danger of liver damage. A German dermatologist suggests that
breaking out in zits after taking ecstasy is an indication that the body is
under stress and that other symptoms will develop more readily. page 25
ORDER #3: RULE OF THUMB:
There are a number of wearable computers designed for use on the
move, but no easy way of getting data into them. Now a researcher from
Stanford University has developed a new one-handed sign language
which enables the user to write documents and emails while walking
along the street. page 21
ORDER #4: CHIP OFF THE MOON:
A Chunk of rock some 50 metres across has been found circling the Sun
in an orbit close to Earth's. Astronomers say the object, which was
discovered by an asteroid-hunting telescope in New Mexico, is probably
a chip off the Moon. page 13
ORDER #5: NO HIDING PLACE:
Every year millions of people come down with food poisoning caused by
Campylobacter. Now these numbers could be dramatically cut thanks to
the first simple test for the bacterium developed by US government
researchers. Scientists have also developed a scanner than can detect the
bug on cattle carcasses. page 23
ORDER #6: DEEP MESSAGE:
Scientists in Massachusetts are analysing the clicks and squeals of
humpback whales to see if they sing grammatically. By measuring the
predictability of sequences of song, researchers hope to tell whether a
whale is repeating itself or communicating complex messages. page 24
ORDER #7: SALTY VINTAGE:
Grapes grown in saline water in Israel's Negev desert produce more
aromatic wine than those that have been conventionally cultivated in
freshwater. The first vintage of red and white wines from the Negev using
this technique is now going on sale in Israel. page 12
ORDER #8: DON'T CALL GOD...:
Churches in Britain are using Citizens Band radios to let their
congregations listen in to services they cannot attend. But from 1 March,
clerics risk fines or jail for doing so, when the Radiocommunications
Agency clamps down on church use of CB. page 24
ORDER #9: SAVED BY THE LIGHT:
Sunlight might one day offer developing countries a cheap alternative to
medical lasers, say researchers in Israel. By collecting sunlight in a
parabolic dish and feeding the light energy down an optical fibre into the
operating theatre, they say it should be possible to carry out many of the
surgical techniques normally done by laser. page 20
ORDER #10: FIRE IN THE SKY:
The last time the Sun spat fireballs onto Earth 10 years ago, six million
Canadians lost heat and light. With the next solar storm fast approaching,
scientists are racing to predict its severity before it hits the Earth, and
are putting in place measures to protect power grids and telecommunications
networks. pages 29-32
ORDER #11: IDENTITY CRISIS:
When police find a skeleton and can't put a name to it, the last resort is
facial reconstruction. This used to be done by a sculptor moulding clay
round a cast of a skull. But today, computer artists are wrapping
cyberflesh round a three-dimensional image of a skull. They're using
maths to create an uncanny likeness between their images and the
deceased. pages 41-43
ORDER #12: LOCAL HEROES:
Ponds are among the very best natural habitats, providing homes for
more endangered freshwater species than even the grandest river or lake.
British ponds are being intensely scrutinised to find out what needs to be
done to give them the highest conservation potential. pages 35-39
ORDER #13: SMASH THE SYSTEM:
Quasicrystals just shouldn't exist. These alloys are symmetrical in ways
that physics doesn't allow. The only way scientists could solve this
problem was to accuse nature of cheating us--it was hammering home
the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle in the wrong places. The first close-up
images of quasicrystals suggest that this is exactly what's happening. pages
44-46
LOCATION INDEX:
CA(Bay Area): #3;
CA(Elsewhere): #10; #12;
CO: #10;
IA: #1, #5; #12;
MA: #4; #6;
MN: #12;
NJ: #13
NM: #4;
Canada: #10; #12;
- ENDS -
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF ALL THESE ITEMS - THANKS
Issue cover date: 27 February 1999
For fax copies of full stories or to arrange an interview, please contact
Barbara Thurlow at [email protected] or on 202 452 1178. In Europe please
contact Jane Baldwin, Reed Business Information Press Office, Tel. (0181)
652 8018 or email [email protected]
New Scientist now has a Press Site on the Internet. You'll be able to look up
our press releases, the stories in text & PDF formats plus graphics. If you
haven't already registered, please contact Barbara Thurlow.
New Scientist Planet Science provides Internet users with news, features,
reviews and comment drawn weekly from the pages of New Scientist magazine, as well as extra material exclusive to the web site. The site can be found at http://www.newscientist.com
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