EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE
1900 HOURS GMT WEDNESDAY, 25 MARCH 1998
ORDER #1: HERE'S THE CATCH
Surgeons who carry hepatitis B, but are allowed to continue working because they are officially "non-infectious", can still pass the virus to their patients. Health officials have reported the first death of a patient infected in this way. Page 5
ORDER #2: CONSTANT CHAOS
Scientists may have found evidence that some physical constants - possibly even the speed of light - were different in the past. Page 12
ORDER #3: AN OPEN WOUND
A leaked report on animal care from Oxford University has led to calls for an official audit of the surgical procedures of researchers at British universities. The document reveals that, until recently, animals sewn up after experiments at Oxford were suffering from reopened wounds. Page 4
ORDER #4: ABOUT TIME
Time machines may litter the Universe, an international team of scientists suggests. They say that some enigmatic bursts of gamma rays spotted by satellites are the telltale signatures of wormholes, tunnels though space and time. Page 14
ORDER #5: A TRIP TO THE MOVIES THAT ENDED IN TEARS
British Telecom's experiment with "electronic cinema", replacing 35-mm films with video, has taken an embarrassing turn. Last week, a key partner in the project publicly denounced the quality of the pictures screened at a cinema in London's West End. Page 6
ORDER #6: SOMETHING IN THE AIR
The health of people who service jet aircraft could be harmed by breathing the aerosols of unburnt fuel. Scientists will describe animal studies at a meeting in Texas next week which suggest these aerosols can damage lungs and have neurological effects. Page 6
ORDER #7: SAFE TO DRINK
A simple filter based on sand and iron filings could prevent millions of people being poisoned by the arsenic in their drinking water. An environmental engineer from the University of Connecticut has created a filter that converts almost all of the arsenic in water into insoluble compounds. Page 10
ORDER #8: MODEL SHOPPERS
The supermarket giant Sainsbury's is building a computer model called Sim Store, that simulates in minute detail the operation of one of London's stores. The aim is to make more accurate predictions of customers' buying patterns. Page 11
- SIN IN THE 20TH CENTURY -
OUR SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
DESTINATION HELL
St. Gregory the Great framed the Seven Deadly Sins in a feudal world. Would he have to recast the lot in the post-modern Nineties? Page 25
ENVY
For as long as sex stalks the land, envy is inevitable because it's good for our genes. Pages 26-27
GLUTTONY
Ten tips to take you to the heights of hoggishness. Rosie Mestel is our woman in a vomitorium. Pages 28-31
WRATH
What has Mike Tyson got in common with a tropical fish? Pages 32-33
PRIDE
It sets us apart from the animals, but what about machines? Pages 34-35
SLOTH
The labour-saving gadgets that are penetrating the markets are saving you energy, but are they shortening your life? Pages 36-37
AVARICE
It's an acquisitive world - and they're out to make you shop 'til you drop. Pages 38-39
LUST
Junkies could teach us a thing or two about pure desire. Pages 40-43
PLEASE MENTION NEW SCIENTIST AS THE SOURCE OF THESE ITEMS - THANKS
- ENDS -
March 24, 1998
Issue cover date: 28 March, 1998
For fax copies of full stories or to arrrange 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]
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