Say What?
chorus waves \KOHR-uhs WAYVS\ n. A type
of radio wave that appears in bursts inside
Earth’s magnetic field. Chorus waves get
their name from their sound: When played
through a speaker they sound like birds
chirping. The waves accelerate electrons in
Earth’s radiation belts to high energies, and
these electrons rain down on the atmosphere to create pulsating auroras that
flash on and off. But the electrons can also damage satellite electronics. An
international team of researchers reports online August 25 in Space Weather
that a super solar outburst, bigger than one in 2003 that caused bright
“Halloween Storm” auroras (shown), could inject electrons near Earth where
chorus waves would pump them up. Radiation levels would increase for up to
a decade and limit satellite lifetimes to less than a year. — Camille M. Carlisle
SN Online
www.sciencenews.org
BODY & BRAIN
‘Normal’ B12 levels may
not be enough for the brain.
Read “B12 shortage linked
to cognitive problems.”
LIFE
A penguin can find its kin
even in a sea of black and
white. See “Penguins may
sniff out relatives.”
ATOM & COSMOS
A NASA probe has found
bizarre landforms on the
planet nearest the sun.
Read more in “Messenger
from Mercury.”
Science Past | FROM THE ISSUE OF OCTOBER 21, 1961
‘ALARM CLOCK’ BRINGS SNAKES TO SURFACE — A built-in
“alarm clock” apparently helps a brightly-banded little
desert snake come to the surface at night after he has bur-
ied himself to escape the day’s heat…. It
had been noted that these snakes, which
remain buried in the sand most of the
time, appear to come to surface virtually
in unison over a wide area every night. It
was thought that they followed a rising
heat barrier in the sand which rises as the
sand cools off each night. Laboratory studies ... have indi-
cated that there may be a little more to it than this. The
investigation has suggested that the snake has a biological
alarm clock which “wakes” him up about 23 hours after his
last emergence at the surface.
Science Future
October 31
Last day for artists to apply
for a residency at the CERN
particle physics lab near
Geneva. Learn more at
www.aec.at/prix/collide/
November 4
Chicago’s Field Museum opens
its “Restoring Earth” exhibit.
See www.; eldmuseum.org
November 6
The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.,
explores MIT labs as hot spots
of invention. See bit.ly/smitlab
How Bizarre
Mammals’ brains may navigate three dimensions with flat
mental maps. Researchers in England and the United States
hooked electrodes up to rats’ brains and watched how neurons responded as the rats climbed vertical Peg-Boards
and corkscrewlike paths. The scientists report in the Aug. 7
Nature Neuroscience that two types of brain cell
“odometers” didn’t record as much information
during climbing as they did while the rats were
walking on flat ground. It may be that Earthlings
on land are bad at 3-D because they spend their
lives surrounded by horizons, the researchers
note. Humans floating in space also think with
a horizontal reference, suggesting that internal
HUMANS
A teenager’s alcohol use is
influenced by the friends
of the teen’s boyfriend or
girlfriend. See “Teen daters
pal up to the bottle.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JAN PITMAN/AP PHOTO; NASA, JHU APL, CARNEGIE INST. OF WASHINGTON; KATE JEFFERY
0
Neurosurgery
Thoracic/cardio-
vascular surgery
Orthopedic surgery
Plastic surgery
Dermatology
Family practice
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Science Stats | WHO’S SUED
From 1991 through 2005, about 7 percent of doctors surveyed faced
a claim each year, with 1. 6 percent paying a plaintiff. Of all doctors,
surgeons are the most often sued for malpractice.
Doctors facing malpractice claims, by specialty
Any claim
Claim with payment
to a plaintiff
