ORDER #1: STORE IN A COOL, DRY PLACE
Critics of the B-2 stealth bomber have grumbled for years that it was an expensive waste of money. Now they have another complaint: you can't even leave it out in the rain. The bomber's special radar-absorbing coat material quickly degrades and loses its "invisibility" if exposed to rain, heat and humidity. If the US Air Force ever wants to take the bomber on operations away from home it will have to send along air-conditioned hangars. Page 5
ORDER #2: HARD TO SWALLOW
Whales feeding in Antarctic waters may encounter hundreds of spent weather balloons each year, say US government researchers. If even a tiny fraction of these encounters prove harmful, the balloons could have a serious impact on endangered species of great whales. Page 14
ORDER #3: PHEW, WHAT A SICKWAVE
Britain should prepare for a huge outbreak of food poisoning, with an extra 30,000 cases likely over the next few weeks, reveals a report from Compassion in World Farming. The blame should not be heaped on poor hygiene in the kitchen, but on the squalid conditions on intensive farms. Page 4
ORDER #4: TERMINAL HANGOVER
If you are going to a party on New Year's Eve 1999, remember to turn off your computer before you leave home. If you forget, your computer's hangover could be as bad as your own. Some PCs will automatically roll over from 1999 to 2000 if they are left switched off; but if they are left on, the date will change to 1900. Page 19
ORDER #5: ANOTHER HEROIC FAILURE
Radio hams across the world must be wondering when their luck will change. After a series of failures going back 17 years, they notched up yet another last week when they missed a deadline that would have ensured their latest DIY satellite a cheap ride aboard Ariane 5 next month. Page 11
ORDER #6: SELLAFIELD MAYBE, BUT NOT IN MY BACK ROOM
Radioactive waste could end up in your sofa because of a relaxation in European safety limits, claim environmentalists. A directive from Euratom, the European Union's nuclear agency, will mean that organisations wishing to recycle materials that will expose people to low levels of radiation will be able to do so without needing to seek permission. Page 15
ORDER #7: THINGS CAN ONLY GET THINNER
Pharmaceutical companies are developing diet drugs to combat the galloping epidemic of obesity in the West. For the first time, these diet drugs are based on a detailed understanding of the mechanisms our bodies use to control weight. Pages 22-27
ORDER #8: GROWING IN ELECTRIC FIELDS
Plants may have a strange power to detect the electric fields associated with thunderstorms. This extra sense allows them to gear up for a downpour before it starts, says a botanist at Imperial College, London. Pages 28-31
ORDER #9: TRULY MADLY, RANDOMLY
Sudden infant death syndrome may be caused by an unusually regular heartbeat. And mathematicians have worked out how to spot the symptoms. Pages 32-35 ORDER #10: THE FABRICATORSked out how to spot the symptoms. Pages 32-35 How do the hands-on science exhibits at science centres get designed and built? New Scientist finds out. Pages 36-39
- ENDS -
August 20, 1997
Issue cover date: August 23, 1997
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 Lucy Banwell, IPC Press Office Tel: (0171) 261 6415 or e-mail: [email protected] New Scientist is the recipient of over 23 major awards, including the 1996 UTNE Reader's Alternative Press Award in the "Emerging Issues" category. 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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