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This week in European sciences -- week 05|2004 |
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Overview
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Finding land
mines is not a job for the faint-hearted, and locating all the 100 million
or so mines believed to be scattered over 45 countries is, sadly, impossible.
The Corriere della Sera reports (January
29, 2004) on an innocent looking flower that might, at least, make
the task easier in some cases. Developed in Denmark, the genetically modified
thale cress changes its colour to a bright red when it grows in soil containing
nitric oxide - the tell-tale substance present in land mines. The company
that developed the plant hopes that it will help detect the locations
of land mines especially in fields used for growing crops. |
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Corriere
della Sera |
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After journalists
of Süddeutsche Zeitung uncovered that some insurance companies reconsider
how to insure mobile phone companies against a possible risk of mobile
phone radiation and related law-suits by affected users, Christopher Schrader
gives an update (January
29, 2004) on the research on mobile phone radiation. He concludes:
There are no clear and convincing results showing any effect on humans.
Researchers undertake studies on cells, with rats and epidemiological
examinations. Whenever a possible effect has been published, a debate
sets in arguing about methods, importance and reproducibility of the study.
Even when a possible effect has been ruled out by science, the arguments
survive longer in the public debate. At the moment the consensus among
scientists seems to be that no harmful effect on humans has been recorded,
but (1) precautionary actions and behaviour should be considered and (2)
there are open questions to be addressed by further studies. Now an epidemiologist
has set up a watch-dog website to record the fears and beliefs of people.
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Süddeutsche
Zeitung |
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In the German
weekly Die Zeit (January
29, 2004), Ralf Peter Märtin investigates the question that has excited
the German public for decades: Is Reinhold Messner, the famous German
alpinist, to blame for the death of his younger brother? In 1970
they started to climb the Nanga Parbat together, and only one of them,
Reinhold, returned. The answer was now given by a bone found in a valley
nearby. A genetic test reveals the truth: It's the bone of Messners brother.
The location of the finding proves that Rheinhold Messner is not guilty
of his brother's death. A German mystery has been solved. |
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Die
Zeit |
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Trying on
new clothes may be a bliss for some people, but how many times have you
cursed that stupid mirror you had to look at yourself in to see whether
that new pair of trousers hid the extra pounds gained over Christmas well
enough? Help may be on the way, writes Alessandra Muglia in Corriere della
Sera (January
28, 2004). Japanese electronics companies have developed a system
which creates a 3D alter ego of the shopper from pictures taken on the
spot. Once the buyer has been digitized, he or she can check on a computer
screen what the new outfit will look like - and even change their hairdo
accordingly, if necessary. Some fashion-conscious Italians interviewed
by the Corriere were rather worried about that prospect, though. After
all, would you like your body - if only virtually - to be saved on a hard
disk? |
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Corriere
della Sera |
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Meteor Hits Swedish Acoustic Measuring Stations out of Service On January
17 Northern Sweden experienced a powerful hit by a meteor (Dagens Nyheter,
January
28, 2004). Many people witnessed a bright flash above the clouds and
four acoustic measuring stations recorded a bang, which actually managed
to knock out three of the stations. Scientists believe that it was a meteor
of at least 10 kilograms, which fractured while entering the atmosphere.
The meteor fragments most likely are spread north-west of the town of
Jokkmokk. |
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Dagens
Nyheter |
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Many features
covered the recent success of the European orbiter "Mars Express".
Gerald Traufetter reports in Der Spiegel (January
26, 2004) on the new findings: Water used to flow on Mars billions
of years ago, and water does still exist on the south pole as solidified
ice. Where has the rest gone? Did it evaporate into space? According to
unpublished pictures there are white spots at the hillside of a mountain
range - probably ice.
The scanning camera has a resolution of 10 meters. "Now we have a
better picture of the Mars topology than even of the Earth", a leading
scientist, Gerhard Neukum, is quoted. |
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Der
Spiegel |
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Ulf von Rauchhaupt
reports critically on the first results from the European orbiter Mars
Express in FAZ on Sunday (January
25, 2004).
Besides the precise measurements and the detailed 3-dimensional profiling
of the Mars surface Rauchhaupt sees nothing sensationally new. The presence
of water and ice has been known for years. So what? |
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Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung |
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Per Snaprud
pays a visit to Linda Acredolo, professor of psychology at the University
of California, Davis (Dagens Nyheter, January
25, 2004). Professor Acredolo is the author of the book "Baby Talk",
which has already sold 500,000 copies in the US and has been translated
into 14 languages. In this book, Acredolo presents a very simple idea:
use sign language with hearing children when they do not yet have the
ability to speak. Children at the age of 7 or 8 months can already use
sign language to communicate - long before they are able to control the
muscles in their mouth and tongue. Research together with Susan Goodwyn
has shown that children who learn sign language early on start to use
spoken language earlier than a control group and that they still have
a 12 point lead at the age of 8 when the IQ scores are compared. Francisco
Lacerda, lecturer in phonetics at Stockholm University, thinks that the
research is serious and that the results are reliable, but is worried
about the surrounding commercialisation. Researchers may find themselves
in a strange double role, when they become overly dependent on the sales
of books, teaching material and video tapes. |
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Dagens
Nyheter |
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Mystery about Early Swedish Castles The Swedish
landscape is dotted with the remains of around 1000 ancient castles that
were in use between the 4th and 6th century. Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg
reports for Svenska Dagbladet (January
25, 2004) on new views of these remains within the Swedish archeological
community. Previously it was thought that these fortified structures only
served as temporary abodes during crises. New research shows, however,
that these castles were probaly permanently inhabitet by a powerful elite,
which controlled trade, markets and religious cults in the surroundings.
The castles were apparently also encircled by townships with a more or
less permanent population. Archeologists have found remnants of fabrics,
jewellery, storage rooms and shops for manufacturing. One mystery, however,
remains: why were these castles abandoned in the 6th century? It was thought
that climate change led people to move out of these areas, but new pollen
analyses cast serious doubt on this interpretation. Some archeologists
believe that the abandonment has to do with changes in religious cults.
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Svenska
Dagbladet |
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Global Warming and Nuclear Power Richard Meserve,
obviously a proponent of nuclear energy by profession - he is chairman
of the International Nuclear Safety Group of the International Atomic
Energy Agency -, advocates very prominently the benefits of nuclear power
in an editorial of Science magazine (January
23, 2004). Especially the carbon-free gerneration of energy should
be considered more. Meserve doesn't think that environmentalists will
change their minds, but nuclear power is worth a second look: "For
those who are serious about confronting global warming, nuclear power
should be seen as part of the solution." The challenges of safe operation
and safe disposal all could be met. He concludes: "Nuclear power
at the least must be a bridging technology until other carbon-free energy
options become more readily available." |
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Science |
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