Science Tuesday - Climate Change, Genetics, RetroPathology, Menopause and Heat Waves

Observatory: Shifting Dunes and an Ancient Drought
By HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times, July 25, 2006

Bob Dylan got it right: you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. All you need, really, is a dune.

If that dune has been fixed in place since ancient times, you can know which way the wind blew back then, and by extension what the climate was like.

By analyzing the region of dunes known as the Nebraska Sand Hills, scientists at the University of Nebraska have determined that a major wind shift occurred on the Great Plains from 800 to 1,000 years ago. That shift, which brought dry air from the southwest, led to a prolonged drought that was much more severe than the Dust Bowl.
( Read More )

Scientists Say They’ve Found a Code Beyond Genetics in DNA
By NICHOLAS WADE, The New York Times, July 25, 2006

Researchers believe they have found a second code in DNA in addition to the genetic code.

The genetic code specifies all the proteins that a cell makes. The second code, superimposed on the first, sets the placement of the nucleosomes, miniature protein spools around which the DNA is looped. The spools both protect and control access to the DNA itself.

The discovery, if confirmed, could open new insights into the higher order control of the genes, like the critical but still mysterious process by which each type of human cell is allowed to activate the genes it needs but cannot access the genes used by other types of cell.
( Read More )

A President Felled by an Assassin and 1880’s Medical Care
By AMANDA SCHAFFER, The New York Times, July 25, 2006

WASHINGTON — Three vertebrae, removed from the body of President James A. Garfield, sit on a stretch of blue satin. A red plastic probe running through them marks the path of his assassin’s bullet, fired on July 2, 1881.

The vertebrae form the centerpiece of a new exhibit, commemorating the 125th anniversary of Garfield’s assassination. The exhibit also features photographs and other images that tell the story of the shooting and its aftermath, in which Garfield lingered on his deathbed for 80 days. Located at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the exhibit opened on July 2 and will close, 80 days later, on Sept. 19.
( Read More )

Research Finds Little Proof on Menopause Treatments
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR, The New York Times, July 25, 2006

Almost half of American women seek alternative or complementary treatments for the unpleasant symptoms of menopause. But a systematic review of the evidence has found little proof that any of them work.
( Read More )

Heat Wave Claims Lives in Europe, and Hottest Days Are Still to Come
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, The New York Times, July 19, 2006

PARIS, July 18 (Agence France-Presse) — Much of Europe baked Tuesday in temperatures reaching as high as 104 degrees in some places, in a heat wave that has claimed at least six lives.
( Read More )