Scientific Observations
“The sequencing of the Human Reference Genome,
announced 10 years ago, provided a road map that
is the foundation for modern biomedical research.
This monumental accomplishment was enabled
by developments in DNA sequencing technology
that allowed data production to far exceed the
original description of Sanger sequencing.
Moving forward in the genomic era in which we
now find ourselves, new (or ‘next generation’) DNA sequencing technology
is enabling revolutionary advances in our understanding of health and
disease. In essence, sequencing technology is the engine that powers the
car that allows us to navigate the human genome road map. As that engine
becomes ever more powerful, so will the questions we can ask and answer
about the geography of our genetic landscape.” — GENETICIST ELAINE MARDIS OF
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS, IN THE FEB. 10 NATURE
SN Online
www.sciencenews.org
ATOM & COSMOS
Reflected heat may explain
the strange slowdown of
two spacecraft. Read
“Pioneer puzzle pinned
on thermodynamics.”
DELETED SCENES BLOG
After 30 years, the space
shuttle fleet comes to rest.
See “NASA picks shuttles’
retirement homes” to find
out where.
Science Past | FROM THE ISSUE OF MAY 6, 1961
PATENTS OF THE WEEK — “Inventions for the home
of tomorrow” were the theme of several inventions just
patented. Two improved methods for rocking the cradle
electrically have been invented. The main
advantage of the “motor driven cradle” …
is that it can be made inexpensively. It
also has a timer and an adjustment that
lets the cradle rock through a wide arc or
a small one.… The latest thing for the bath-
room is a bar of soap with brush bristles
embedded. The scrubbing bar, invented by Guy M. Beatty
of Bakersfield, Calif., and awarded patent No. 7,979,748
contains bristles that are scored at short intervals. As the
soap wears down, the bristles break off bit by bit along
the score marks and a scrubbing surface is maintained.
For Daily Use
Don’t make life-changing decisions on an empty bladder.
Dutch and Flemish researchers report online April 5 in
Psychological Science that people who drank five cups of
water were more likely 45 minutes later to hold out for
a later but greater monetary reward than individuals with
only five sips of water in their systems. This “inhibitory
spillover” also encouraged faster — but not more accurate
— answers on a test requiring volunteers to name a word’s
color instead of its meaning . The results add to other evidence for a general inhibition system that handles both
motor and deliberative control, the authors suggest. They
add that businesses that depend on impulse buying might
consider opening bathrooms to consumers.
Science Future
May 21–22
Shoot off rockets and hear
astronomers sing in Raleigh,
N.C. Go to naturalsciences.org
May 26
Application deadline for the
Commerce Department’s i6
Green Challenge for energy
entrepreneurs. For info, go to
www.eda.gov/i6
BODY & BRAIN
Fat breakdown by
friendly bacteria may
lead to unfriendly
buildup in the arteries.
Read “Gut microbes may
foster heart disease.”
June 15–18
Around Boston, cheer on young
inventors, tackle design tasks
and marvel at cool technologies. See eurekafest2011.org
HUMANS
Gene variants may make
some kids more sensitive
to good and bad parenting.
See “Genetic roots of
‘orchid’ children.”
700
800
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ROBERT BOSTON/WASHINGTON UNIV.; NASA; MAX KRASNOV/SHU TTERSTOCK, ADAPTED B Y T. DUBÉ
Science Stats | SPEEDY S TARS
Average orbital speed
Two dead stellar cores called white dwarfs whiz around each
other nearly 25 times faster than Earth circles the sun, ;nishing
an orbit in 39.1 minutes, scientists report. The orbit time is the
shortest known for a white dwarf pair without the stars touching.
SOURCE: M. KILIC ET AL/MNRAS 2011
200
300 400
600
500
Earth
29.79
100
New
white
dwarf
binary
740
km/s
