EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE 1400 HOURS (EST)
WEDNESDAY, 26 JANUARY 2000
ORDER #1: CLONING WITHOUT EMBRYOS
A company linked to the team that created Dolly the sheep believes it can clone human cells and tissues to replace those lost to disease without needing to sacrifice large numbers of human embryos. If its research pays off, it would lessen the ethical objections to "therapeutic cloning". Page 4
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223108
ORDER #2: KENYAN SETBACK
A promising AIDS vaccine, developed by researchers at the University of Oxford, has received a serious setback with the news that six Kenyan women, thought to be immune to HIV, have become infected. Page 5
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223113
ORDER #3: MODEL WORKERS
Armies of mindless robots might one day help build a base on Mars-or mow your lawn. Robotics experts in Canada, who were inspired by ants, say a large number of simple robots can complete a complex task without communicating with each other. Page 14
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223111
ORDER #4: LIVE AND LET DIE
Genes that help one creature live longer could hasten the death of another. In a new study, American researchers have found that in some fruit flies genetic variations that confer longevity often turn out to have an adverse effect on flies of the opposite sex or in a different environment. Page 7
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223112
ORDER #5: READY OR NOT_
The recent flu outbreak was bad enough, but what happens when a really serious flu pandemic strikes? The World Health Organization lists just 17 countries that actually make their own flu vaccine and less than a dozen countries that have pandemic plans anywhere near completed. Pages 16-17
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223107
ORDER #6: BURNING BACKWARDS
An enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the liver could be used to recycle carbon dioxide without pumping more of the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Chemists in Illinois have developed a highly efficient way to turn carbon dioxide into methanol using the enzyme. Page 15
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2223110
ORDER #7: SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT
There's no doubt that throughout the animal kingdom, the brashest, brightest males get the girls. But what exactly do these colourful displays signify? Evolutionary biologists are starting to understand that disease resistance plays a crucial part in sexual signalling. Pages 22-25
ORDER #8: SEE THROUGH VIDEOTAPES (SHORT ARTICLE)
JVC have changed the VHS standard to allow the trend for transparent computers to extend to see-through video cassettes. Page 15
ORDER #9: PATENT - BOON FOR THE TUNELESS (SHORT ARTICLE)
For those tired of tuning their guitars a company in Somerset has developed a guitar with a built-in tuner. All you have to do is strum randomly and a geared motor adjusts each tensioner. Page 9
ORDER #10: STORM IN A COFFEE CUP
If caffeine in tea or coffee is classed as an addictive drug then the whole world is clearly addicted. While caffeine consumption has been linked to associated health risks, all studies still remain controversial, and yet unconfirmed. So should we quit? Pages 28-31
ORDER #11: THE BORDER OF ORDER
Researchers are planning to combine the power of silicon with the flexibility of plastic to create cheap, bendy and disposable electronics. But how do you marry together two materials that are so different? Pages 37-39
http://www.newscientist.com/features/features.jsp?id=ns222391
ORDER #12: RETURN TO THE IRON PLANET
Mercury, the innermost planet of our Solar System, remains one of the most mysterious. The Messenger Mission will hopefully reveal Mercury's hidden secrets when it becomes the first spacecraft ever to orbit the planet in 2009. Pages 32-35
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Issue cover date:- 29 JANUARY 2000
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