Robert J. Wall U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Gene Evaluation and Mapping Laboratory Beltsville, MD 20705 Posture control depends on balancing act Measuring the subtle movements of a person standing quietly furnishes information about that person's ability to respond to small shoves and other perturbations. 100 P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 77251 Chimp brains show humanlike tilt to left A brain structure thought to be involved in human language is larger on the left side of the chimpanzee brain than on the right. Researchers have found the cell surface protein that allows the mammalian nose to smell octanal, a molecule responsible for creating a meat odor. The presence of reactive sulfur compounds could help explain oil deposits that show up in unexpected places. Animal Science Take bison risk seriously Though the chance is small that bison and elk from Yellowstone National Park will spread brucellosis to cattle, the potential threat is worth worrying about, says the National Research Council.
Tadpoles go temporarily deaf just before they metamorphose into frogs.
On the trail of ants' fancy footwork Ants appear to use hairs on their feet to track a scented trail. Some of the fattest birds to lumber into the sky may achieve their long-distance triumphs by reducing the size of several internal organs. In the showy battles of Siamese fighting fish, bluffers tend to lose. Flying toward all-electric airplanes Replacement of the hydraulic system with an electrically controlled counterpart featuring a new type of actuator could help reduce an airplane's weight. Inland waters yield a trove of artifacts, history, and mystery Researchers are beginning to use technology developed for exploring the ocean depths to unlock the secrets of ships and archaeological sites that lie beneath lakes and rivers.