Science in the News Weekly

Maya Textile Fragments Contain Up to 25 Layers of Fabric

Last week brought intriguing news regarding ancient tombs in South America and Asia. One in Honduras, believed to belong to a Mayan queen of the fifth century A.D., yielded fabric fragments said to rival modern textiles in their complexity and quality. Experts said some of the fabrics have a higher thread count than today's blue jeans.

Further secrets may be in store from Japan's Gosashi Tomb complex, a fifth-century imperial resting place that authorities opened to a team of 16 archaeologists this month. It marks the first time that scholars have been allowed inside a royal tomb outside of an official Japanese excavation.

Among the week's other discoveries about the ancient past, Yale University physician Irwin Braverman reported that the ancient Egyptian ruler Akhenaten most likely had a genetic mutation that caused his body to convert male hormones to female hormones. This is what gave the pharaoh an androgynous appearance, Braverman contended Friday at a medical conference concerning the deaths of historical figures.

And geologists prospecting for diamonds off the coast of southern Africa reported finding a 500-year-old shipwreck full of treasure, including copper ingots, elephant tusks and gold coins. A news conference about the discovery is planned for Namibia this week.

Global Warming: Mounting Data but a Patchwork Understanding

Arctic climate is changing faster that scientists expected, and the Christian Science Monitor looked at efforts to get a handle on the underlying causes as well as their implications for the future. There is no shortage of research projects halfway through the International Polar Year, but some fear the efforts are too unsystematic to be useful for computer models.

One noticeable consequence of arctic climate change could occur this summer. Scientists say the North Pole may become ice-free, since most of the arctic ice will be thin and vulnerable as it enters its summer melting season. Last year, arctic sea ice reached a record low, opening up the Northwest Passage between Greenland and Alaska.

Meanwhile, scientists say that one implication of warmer oceans could be the expansion of low-oxygen zones that are inhospitable to sea life. Studies suggest that such zones have grown over the past 50 years in the central and equatorial Atlantic and the equatorial Pacific.

On the other hand, shifting ocean currents could bring cooler weather over the next decade to Europe and North America, and climate scientists say it could temporarily mask the effects of human-driven climate change.

Another study suggests that the Earth's natural feedback mechanism that regulates carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere has reached the point where it can't keep up with all the C0₂ generated by human activity.

Tiny Galaxies, Time Dilation, Martian Hot Springs

Astronomers reported the discovery of a new type of galaxy, no bigger than the central hub of the Milky Way yet containing as many stars as older and larger galaxies. They say these small, dense galaxies date from relatively early in the formation of the universe, when it was less than 3 billion years old.

An unrelated team confirmed that distant supernovae appear to unfold more slowly than their nearby counterparts, an expected consequence of an expanding universe. The amount of time dilation, they said, varies with the remoteness of the explosions, an effect due by the expansion of space between an object and its observer.

Closer to home, NASA geologists think they've detected the remnants of two hot springs on Mars that could once have harbored primitive life. Water isn't flowing at the sites now but likely did in the past, according to the photographic evidence. A NASA researcher noted, "This puts the story of water on the Martian surface in a totally different context."

And the BBC was among those to report on the launch of a trial satellite for Europe's Galileo navigation system. The spacecraft will test a number of key technologies, including atomic clocks, designed to be part of the system's 30 operational platforms.

Tech: 'Memristor' Presages Low-Power, High-Density Computer Chips

Last week researchers reported that they have designed a simple circuit element, called a memristor, which could make it possible to build very dense computer memory chips. They said the new chips could imitate biological functions, while using far less power than current chips.

In other technology news, a team of German researchers announced development of a device that imitates the process used by spiders to make silk that, for its weight, is five times stronger than steel. Such a lightweight strong material could have many applications in medical equipment and other areas.

A new human identification test that's faster than DNA analysis could give detectives and others a new weapon in their forensic kits. Researchers say the new test analyzes antibodies that are unique to each of us and is meant to supplement rather than replace DNA analysis.

Amid rising gas prices, the New York Times looked at what could become a growing trend toward manufacturing ethanol at home as an alternative fuel for cars. One company says its home ethanol system will on the market later this year.

And, finally, experts say thin-film technology could make solar cells considerably lighter and cheaper. The devices use a fine layer of semiconducting material to make electricity from sunlight at a fraction of the cost of traditional silicon photovoltaics.

Biomedicine: Better Vision Through Gene Therapy

In a dramatic development, researchers reported last week that they had used gene therapy to improve vision in patients who were almost blind due to a rare condition called Leber's congenital amaurosis. They believe the approach may eventually be used to help those suffering from a broad range of visual disorders.

Meanwhile, scientists said they have identified seven different gene sequences associated with the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The studies may shed light on how the disease develops and perhaps even provide insights on new treatments. And the U.S. Congress banned health insurance companies and employers from using genetic information on disease predisposition to make insurance coverage or job decisions. The anti-discrimination bill is expected to be signed into law by President Bush.

Elsewhere in biomedical news, the Los Angeles Times was among those to report on the successful test of an artificial kidney by Michigan researchers. The device, which incorporates living cells, is meant for short-term use to allow a damaged kidney time to recover. Experts say it could reduce deaths from acute kidney failure by half.

San Diego researchers say they have discovered that some of the factors that cause diabetes may also trigger Alzheimer's. They found that the inability to process insulin caused swelling of the brain and other neuronal damage in diabetic mice. A similar process may be at work in humans.

And a possible resurgence of measles could be on the horizon in the U.S. following a reported 72 cases in the first four months of this year. Health officials say growing numbers of people are declining to get vaccinated, and measles outbreaks in Israel and Europe could make the U.S. vulnerable.