GENTLY DOES ITEven mild shaking can kill babies, says the largest and most detailed study yet on the brain of infants whose deaths were suspicious. British researchers found that mild shaking can damage the nerves in the neck that control breathing. The findings question the scientific evidence behind numerous convictions and could open the way for a wave of appeals. Page 4-5
IN THE FIRING LINEA senator has demanded that the US Navy disclose records that could reveal if there is a link between leaks of a military fuel and a leukaemia cluster near a naval airbase in Nevada. Concerns about the fuel, called JP-8, have grown since a US toxicologist found during animal tests that it "wrecked their immune systems" . Page 7
ROGUE ON THE LOOSECalifornian researchers have found a protein in cancer patients that can behave just like a prion, the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease. They suggest that a prion-like mechanism could be involved in the spread of cancer through the body. Page 18
WAS MYSTERY EXPLOSION A SECRET NUCLEAR TEST?Western governments detonated a "nuclear" bomb in a pristine area of the Australian tropical rainforest during the cold war - 25 times more powerful than the Oklahoma bomb six years ago. Australian archives describe the blast as a nuclear explosion, while the British government insists it was a conventional bomb. Page 6
THWACK!Baseball fielders need to listen to the sound of the ball hitting the bat to stand a fighting chance of catching it. An American physicist says that by listening to the "clunk" or the "crack" of the bat, it is possible to judge how far a ball is going to travel. Page 12
KILLER GASPilots' lives could be at risk from dry ice carried on cargo aircraft, warn America's National Transport Safety Board. Carbon dioxide gas from evaporating dry ice, used to refrigerate perishable cargo, could starve flight deck crew of oxygen. Page 16
TWIST AND SCOUTTiny spinning screws could burrow like moles into tumours and destroy them with a hot lance. Japanese researchers have already tested their micro-robots in beef steak and say they could even be used to ferry drugs to infected tissues. Page 20
LIGHTS OUTWildlife buffs will be gathering with astronomers to witness next week's total solar eclipse in southern Africa. The enthusiasts will be recording one of the world's first large-scale studies of how wild animals behave during an eclipse. Page 11
SHORT STORY - ROCK AROUND THE BENCH (TECHNOFILE)On your stroll through the local park you'll soon be able to plug in to one of the park's digital benches. Plug your headphones into the bench to listen to pre-recorded information about the area or a local drama. Page 21
SHORT STORY - FOAM ALONE (PATENT)Irish inventors have found a way around trying to get the cream to float on top of an Irish coffee. They've developed an alcoholic, creamy foam that floats on top of hot or cold drinks. Page 23
VIRTUALLY HUMANIt breathes, it bleeds, it will be a pharmaceutical guinea pig for us, testing new drugs. The Virtual Human may only be alive inside a computer, but its cells will replicate and die and its blood will flow. But perhaps the most exciting prospect is that the Virtual Human may give us new insights into the way our bodies work. Pages 27-29
A MIND UNDER SIEGEDoes an over-active immune system cause depression? If so, could anti-inflammatory drugs offer a brand new way to lift people's moods? At least two groups of researchers are gearing up to start trials within the year. Pages 34-37
FEELING LUCKY?If some people can survive air crashes, shouldn't everyone be able to walk away? The pressure is on airline regulatory authorities to bring in crash-proof, shock-absorbing designs that could potentially save lives. Pages 38-41
THE KINGDOMS OF GAIADo plants and animals really live in perfect harmony or are the two kingdoms at war for control of the Earth's climate? New evidence shows that whenever the "breath" of plants and animals doesn't balance out, it changes the Earth's thermostat. Page 30-33
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ISSUE DATE: 16 JUNE 2001
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