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Table of Contents

News this Week

Volume 317, Number 5845, Issue of 21 September 2007
©2007 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.

News of the Week

SEISMOLOGY:
Continuing Indonesian Quakes Putting Seismologists on Edge

Richard A. Kerr

The recent run of large quakes off the Indonesian island of Sumatra is providing fodder for both sides in the debate over whether earthquakes behave consistently enough to be reliably anticipated.

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SEISMOLOGY:
Tsunami Warning System Shows Agility--and Gaps in Indian Ocean Network

Dennis Normile

The latest earthquake to rattle South Asia provided a drill for the nascent tsunami warning system being launched by Indian Ocean nations in response to the December 2004 tsunami.

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ASTRONOMY:
Arecibo Advocates Agitate to Reverse Planned NSF Cut

Andrew Lawler

Supporters of the world's largest radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, gathered last week in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in hopes of keeping the observatory alive.

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PALEOANTHROPOLOGY:
A New Body of Evidence Fleshes Out Homo erectus

Ann Gibbons

In this week's issue of Nature, an incredibly rare trunk and limb bones of early Homo erectus suggest that the species wasn't always as tall and brainy as previous fossils had led researchers to believe.

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GENE THERAPY:
Questions Remain on Cause of Death in Arthritis Trial

Jocelyn Kaiser

An investigation into the death of a 36-year-old woman in a gene therapy trial has revealed a complex tragedy but reached no firm conclusion on whether the experiment was to blame.

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CLIMATE CHANGE:
Panel Gives U.S. Program Mixed Grades

Richard A. Kerr

An expert panel says the Bush Administration deserves "a pat on the back" for advancing the science of climate change. But the scientists assembled by the National Research Council have serious concerns about the management, funding, and emphasis of the $1.7-billion-a-year Climate Change Science Program.

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REGENERATIVE MEDICINE:
Australian Scientist to Head California Stem Cell Effort

Constance Holden

Late last Friday, the board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine approved the appointment of Alan Trounson, one of Australia's premier stem cell researchers, as the institute's president.

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News Focus

GENETICS:
The Geneticist's Best Friend

Elizabeth Pennisi

Dogs are helping to hunt down more than foxes and lions: Researchers are increasingly relying on them to track down genes and pathways involved in canine and human diseases.

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GENETICS:
Europe Going to the Dogs

Elizabeth Pennisi

Researchers from more than 20 European institutions are poised to make a champion showing in the field of dog genetics, thanks to a pending European Union award for about $16 million.

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PLANETARY SCIENCE:
Is Mars Looking Drier and Drier for Longer and Longer?

Richard A. Kerr

A report in this week's issue of Science (p. 1706) shows that the more closely planetary scientists scrutinize the Red Planet, the less wet and weathered its surface appears to be, even in the solar system's earliest days.

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LINGUISTICS:
Read My Slips: Speech Errors Show How Language Is Processed

Michael Erard

Researchers are analyzing spoonerisms and other slips of the tongue to help understand how humans--and even apes--can comprehend and use language.

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EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES:
Barroso's Brainchild

Martin Enserink

Thanks to the influence of José Manuel Barroso, Europe may soon have its new European Institute of Technology. But few scientists are celebrating.

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