From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 13:14:13 PST
----- Original Message -----
From: newsletter_at_newscientist.com<mailto:newsletter_at_newscientist.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 6:18 AM
Subject: Mysterious 'fairy circles' defy explanations
NewScientist.com newsletter, 1 April 2004
welcome to the New Scientist newsletter, which this week
reveals the fairy circles that defy explanation, the smell cannon
that targets the nostrils of virtual reality users and the software
that captions your photos while you chat about your holiday.
If you would prefer to receive an HTML version of this newsletter,
EDITOR'S CHOICE:
TOP STORIES:
Snapshot chat creates automatic captions
Murder detectives must rethink maggot theory
Smell cannon targets virtual reality users
Heartbeats warn of sudden death risk
Rat genome reveals supercharged evolution
Titanic waves break on Saturn's sludgy moon
Dogs do resemble their owners, finds study
Liquorice drug boosts memory in elderly
AND FINALLY...
THIS WEEK'S PRINT EDITION:
FEATURES
NOWHERE TO HIDE FOR HIV
TINY TELESCOPES, BIG DISCOVERIES
FAST TRACK FACTORIES
NEWS
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: Thu Apr 01 2004 - 13:20:49 PST
please visit:
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FAIRY CIRCLES
The mysterious "fairy circles" found along the western fringes of
the Namib desert have confounded an in-depth search for a scientific
explanation. The circles are patches of completely bare sandy soil
up to 10 metres in diameter, with unusually lush perimeters of tall
grasses. The three main theories - termites, radioactive soil and
toxic debris left by poisonous plants - have all been dismissed. For
the moment, "we're left with the fairies", the researchers admit.
MORE
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994833
Vast numbers of digital photos are now being stored on people's
computers - a new system aims to make annotation easy
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994835
Research on how insects colonise corpses casts doubt on a key
technique used to estimate when a victim died
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994836
A new device can track an individual, shoot an aroma directly at
their nose, and leave the person next to them completely unaffected
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994834
The finding could provide a way to screen for people at risk of
sudden cardiac death, whose heartbeats can appear perfectly healthy
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994832
Researchers also think the draft genetic code will speed the
identification of key human genes and the creation of disease
treatments
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994840
The winds on Titan whip up waves seven times higher than those on
Earth, suggest computer simulations
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994838
Pure-bred dogs can be matched to their owners by strangers, but not
mixed-breed mutts, find US psychologists
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994837
Net music piracy 'does not harm record sales'
Online file-trading networks are not responsible for declining CD
sales, claim the researchers behind a major new statistical study
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994831
Shot of alcohol greases micromachines
A tiny shot of alcohol could one day perk up worn-out micro-motors
in a range of micro-electro-mechanical systems
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994828
The modified extract improves the verbal memory of older people
within a few weeks, a new study finds
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994829
Virtually all fish seem to get along fine with roughly the same body
shape - so why are sting rays and manta rays such an unusual shape?
Discover the advantages of their delta-wing form in this week's Last
Word section...MORE
http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw1076
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THE GENIUS MACHINE
Why worry where creativity comes from if you can turn it on at the
flick of a switch?
Track the virus to its secret hideaways, eliminate them one by one,
and a cure for HIV could be on the horizon
When it comes to spotting alien worlds, amateur astronomers with
small, cheap telescopes have as much to offer as the professionals
Want to save your factory a fortune? Just take a trip to traffic
hell
Circumcision reduces risk of HIV
Comets contain antifreeze
Cocaine craving sparked by first high
Geothermal power for all
http://www.newscientist.com/subscribe/subs_home.jsp?source=nletter