FEBRUARY
2004
This section
features key science stories from The Daily Telegraph's
online news service at www.telegraph.co.uk.
Click on the links for the full story.
Experiments on animals should end, say doctors
Doctors are calling for a moratorium on animal experiments until their contribution to health is properly evaluated.
28 Feb 2004
Why happy marriages are heaven scent . . .
Scientists have discovered a tip for a successful marriage: for an enduring relationship, an attractive smell is as important as good looks.
28 Feb 2004
Remains of dinosaurs in Antarctica
The fossilised remains of two unknown species of dinosaurs have been found by scientists in Antarctica.
27 Feb 2004
English 'in decline' as a language
The proportion of the world's population that grows up speaking English is in decline and Mandarin Chinese will become the next "must learn" language, it is has been claimed.
27 Feb 2004
The mind is a master of art
Do scientific laws underpin our appreciation of paintings? David Derbyshire talks to a man who thinks it may be possible to define 'good' art.
26 Feb 2004
Rules 'threaten medical research'
The world's foremost epidemiologist, 91-year-old Sir Richard Doll, would be willing to go to prison in defiance of new regulations he believes are suffocating clinical medical research.
26 Feb 2004
Cut the cattiness, scientists are told
The whispering campaign to stop Lady Greenfield from being elected to the Royal Society may have damaged her reputation, the scientific body has admitted.
25 Feb 2004
Satellite survey keeps track of rescued seals
Six orphaned seals are to have their every move logged by satellite for a groundbreaking study that aims to improve the odds of seals raised in captivity surviving in the wild.
25 Feb 2004
How house dust turns babies into smokers
Dust and surfaces in a smoker's home are a significant source of passive smoking by babies, a new report says.
24 Feb 2004
How being hungry can tickle the tastebuds
Chocolate, chips and hamburgers really do taste better when one is hungry, according to a study which could explain why dieting is so hard.
23 Feb 2004
Lancet was wrong to publish MMR paper, says editor
A leading medical journal admitted that it was wrong to publish the paper that started the MMR vaccine scare six years ago.
21 Feb 2004
10
years and seven billion miles to land on a comet
The countdown has begun to one of the most audacious missions
in the history of space exploration - an attempt to land a tiny
spacecraft on a comet.
20
Feb 2004
Dolly
expert backs baby cloning
The scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep has said that the potential
benefits of genetic engineering in curing hereditary diseases
were so great "it would be immoral not to do it".
19
Feb 2004
Puffin
tops the menu for 'pirate of the seas'
As the trawling industry declines, the aggressive great skua
is switching from a fish diet to smaller birds. David Derbyshire
reports.
19
Feb 2004
British
chemistry faces extinction
The Government must act to stop the short-sighted, penny-pinching
closure of university chemistry departments, says Harold Kroto.
18
Feb 2004
Beagles'
tricks assist Alzheimer's fight
Scientists have found a way to teach an old beagle forgotten
tricks in research that suggests a healthy diet could help prevent
Alzheimer's disease.
17
Feb 2004
Fossilised
deposits hold key
Fossilised faeces deposited by our ancestors in Israeli caves
could answer two of the greatest mysteries in human evolution.
17
Feb 2004
Cheating
athletes in race for gene jabs
Athletes will soon be using gene transplants to boost their
performances, according to a scientist who says he has used
the method to double the strength of rats.
17
Feb 2004
First
cloned mules are ready for the off
The world of racing is about to see the first clone gallop into
action, marking a new era in the science of sport.
17
Feb 2004
Cord
blood stem cells aid repair of hearts
Injections of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can infiltrate
damaged hearts and transform themselves into healthy muscle
tissue, according to a study.
17
Feb 2004
Hubble
finds most distant star cluster
The farthest galaxy yet detected was reported yesterday by scientists,
one so distant that its light set out when the universe was
only 750 million years old.
17
Feb 2004
Hot
flushes? HRT is worth the risk
A third of all menopausal women who suffer hot flushes may have
been scared off Hormone Replacement Therapy, a doctor has said.
16
Feb 2004
Dental
advance will let adults grow new teeth
The end of dentures is nigh. Dental scientists are perfecting
techniques that will allow new teeth to be grown in the mouths
of adult patients within a few years.
15
Feb 2004
Dogs'
pedigree stretches back to Asian wolves
Every dog on the planet can be grouped into 10 fundamental types,
according to preliminary findings of an effort to establish
the ultimate canine family tree.
14
Feb 2004
How
smoker's sex alters fight to quit
Men and women smokers have different reasons for finding it
hard to kick the habit, according to a study.
14
Feb 2004
Shortage
of fertile soil may damage civilisation
The world is running out of fertile soil and one tenth has been
damaged already, say scientists who are warning that poor soils
have undermined several civilisations and could do so again.
14
Feb 2004
'I
am doing God's work,' insists maverick fertility expert who
wants to clone babies
The controversial view of Panos Zavos is not shared by most
mainstream scientists, report David Derbyshire and Oliver Poole.
14
Feb 2004
Human
cells cloned: babies next?
Scientists have produced the first convincing evidence that
they have cloned a human embryo - a breakthrough that could
revolutionise medicine.
13
Feb 2004
Can
art enlighten science?
Nancy Rothwell launches the 2004 Novartis/Daily Telegraph Visions
of Science Photographic Awards with a call for scientists and
artists to start talking.
13
Feb 2004
You
could win a share of £8,500
Spanning the worlds of science and arts, the Novartis/Daily
Telegraph Visions of Science Awards is the world's leading science
photography competition.
13
Feb 2004
How
the world of science fiction became fact in only 10 years
A decade ago most serious scientists believed that cloning adult
mammals was impossible.
13
Feb 2004
The
questions
They cloned 30 human embryos and then extracted "stem cells"
from the clones. These cells were then cultured in a glass dish
until they began to differentiate into more specialist types
of cells.
13
Feb 2004
After
the mavericks and cults, this cloning could mark a turning point
Claims to have created a human clone have been made before.
This time, however, details of how to do it have been published
in one of the world's most respected science journals.
13
Feb 2004
Museum's
forgotten fossil 'was first creature on Earth to fly'
A tiny fossil forgotten in a museum drawer for 76 years is the
oldest known insect in the world and may have been the first
creature to fly, scientists have said.
12
Feb 2004
Smoking
'kills up to 5,000 foetuses a year'
Smoking causes up to 5,000 miscarriages and 1,200 cases of cervical
cancer every year, a new report on tobacco and reproductive
health says.
12
Feb 2004
Monkeys
prove we are not all swingers
Women often joke that men think with their trousers when it
comes to sex. But scientists have discovered that even close
relatives are surprisingly thoughtful about the decision to
mate.
10
Feb 2004
Bird
flu linked to 1918 pandemic
Details of how the Spanish flu virus that killed up to 50 million
people in 1918 originated from a bird flu have been revealed
by a study of the most destructive outbreak of disease in recorded
history.
10
Feb 2004
Antibody
blocks Sars
An antibody plucked from a vast "library" of molecules
has been found to be able to block infection by the Sars virus
in laboratory tests.
10
Feb 2004
How
ventriloquists make dummies of us all
The act of throwing voices has been exploited through the ages
by witches, oracles and entertainers, now there is a new explanation
for the ancient art of ventriloquism.
10
Feb 2004
Scotland
in front line for fresh Arctic blast
Scotland is set to shiver in freezing temperatures as another
Arctic blast grips the country over the next week.
07
Feb 2004
Proof
of global warming or just hot air?
David Derbyshire finds his nocturnal routine is severely disrupted
by temperature changes
07
Feb 2004
'Mouse-tronauts'
to pave way for men on Mars
Space scientists are planning one small step for mice that could
mark a giant leap for mankind's ambition to create colonies
on Mars
07
Feb 2004
Scotland
in front line for fresh Arctic blast
Scotland is set to shiver in freezing temperatures as another
Arctic blast grips the country over the next week.
07
Feb 2004
Why
we must learn to accept our winter
"Grit-gate", the Birmingham Evening Mail called it.
07
Feb 2004
She's
not a jolly good fellow, say irate scientists
A split has developed within the Royal Society over the nomination
of Lady Greenfield for a fellowship, the highest honour the
elite academic club can bestow
06
Feb 2004
Why
we bury the past
Scientists have shown for the first time that a biological mechanism
exists in the brain to block unwanted memories
04
Feb 2004
What
makes a woman attractive
Scientists have found the true measure of beauty after conducting
the first-three dimensional study of womens' bodies
04
Feb 2004
Squid
that carries a torch for predators
What has eight legs and a torchlight shining from its hind quarters?
Roger Highfield discovers some of the secrets of the Euprymna
scolopes
04
Feb 2004
I'm
a scientist... get me a drink
Our annual scientists-meet-the-media party shows that boffins
are learning how to play celebrities at their own game, writes
Graham Tibbetts
04
Feb 2004
Comet
disaster throws new light on dark age
A monk's apocalyptic book and Arthurian legend are united by
a study that shows how a comet plunged Britain into a dark age
in the sixth century
04
Feb 2004
Flights
axed in new terror alert
Six flights bound for America, including four from Britain,
were cancelled after intelligence suggested that al-Qa'eda was
planning a spectacular attack using a hijacked airliner and
weapons of mass destruction
02
Feb 2004
Universities
fear science courses will disappear
Core subjects that have traditionally underpinned British universities
are under threat as students choose easier options
02
Feb 2004
'Doomsday
scenario' casts shadow over chemistry
Chemistry is dying in universities with the Royal Society of
Chemistry predicting that there could be as few as six departments
left within ten years
02
Feb 2004
