Radio Extra Stories From 17 May 2003 Issue

Radio Extra Stories From 17 May 2003 Issue

SPRINGY STUDS SAVE CAREERS A British company could help lengthen the playing career of footballers and other sports players with their new springy boots. The boots have spring-loaded studs which flex into the boot to cushion feet from damage. The whole mechanism is encased in plastic to stop it clogging with mud. Page 17

THE MEANING OF A CUTTLEFISH'S WINK British researchers have used a mathematical technique to catalogue the different visual patterns on a cuttlefish's back which change the colour of the skin for communication or camouflage. Page 19

TIME SLOWS FOR PEOPLE WHO STOP SMOKING Time really does pass more slowly when you are gasping for a cigarette, a new US study has revealed. Smokers who are deprived of cigarettes have an altered perception of time, and researchers believe it is linked to underlying biological processes-it's not just psychological. New Scientist's free public website at http://www.newscientist.com

IT'S OFFICIAL: NEANDERTHALS AND HUMANS DIDN'T DATE We are not partially descended from Neanderthals. A study of ancient DNA has confirmed that no Neanderthal genetic material has passed down to modern people. Page 14

PERSONALITY CHANGES THROUGHOUT LIFE Contrary to popular and professional belief, human personalities are not set by the age of 30. American psychologists who tested five major personality traits-conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness and extraversion-found people generally became wiser and more caring with age. New Scientist's free public website at http://www.newscientist.com

IS SHUTTLE HEADING FOR THE SCRAP HEAP? The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has pieced together what caused the space shuttle to break up. But how is it going to make NASA's ageing shuttle fleet safe to fly? Page 6

WORLD GETS THE MEASURE OF SARS The unprecedented global research effort into SARS is paying off with a spate of new discoveries. It turns out that the body's immune response is to blame for the deadly nature of the condition. Page 7

CAN YOU TRAIN YOUR EYES TO SEE BETTER UNDERWATER? The Moken people of Southeast Asia, who live by fishing and diving, can see twice as well underwater as Europeans. This ability may have evolved over thousands of years, or it could be a skill learned in childhood. Page 14

EARTH, WIND AND FIRE Analysis of the oldest meteorites to hit the earth has convinced one astrophysicist that the birth of the Solar System was a lot more violent anyone ever imagined. New Scientist searches for evidence of the X-wind. Pages 26-29

SEAWATER 'PUMPS' POLLUTANTS INTO COASTAL AQUIFERS Coastal wells could be sucking up more pollution from the ocean than we thought. An experiment in an Israeli laboratory shows that salt water can actively pump pollutants into neighbouring fresh water. New Scientist's free public website at http://www.newscientist.com

© Scoop Media