New Scientist

Magazine Overview

Title: New Scientist
Issue Date: 16 April 2011
Volume: 210
Issue Number: 7
Publisher: New Scientist
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Original Language: English
Price: £3.50

This issue of New Scientist features a cover story on a virus causing mass fish deaths, alongside reports on UFO investigations, astronomy, and various scientific news briefs.

'Ebola' kills lake fish

A virus similar to the human Ebola virus, identified as viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS), has been identified as the cause of thousands of dead gizzard shad clogging Milwaukee harbour. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced this on April 1st. VHS first appeared in the Great Lakes in 2003, affecting at least 25 species, but had not been seen since 2008. Researchers believe that fish surviving earlier outbreaks developed immunity, but more recently hatched fish lacked this immunity, leading to a new die-off. The DNR researchers suspect this is what happened in Milwaukee, as the gizzard shad found dead in March 2011 were hatched in the summer of 2010 and were therefore naive to the virus. While die-offs can occur undetected in large lakes, the spectacular and unexpected deaths in the harbour made the cause easier to identify.

UFO search engine

The FBI has launched an online database called "The Vault," which makes information on past UFO investigations searchable. This initiative aims to reduce costs in responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The database has already drawn attention for a 1950 memo detailing the recovery of three flying saucers near Roswell, New Mexico, with occupants described as 3-foot-tall humanoids in metallic cloth. While the information is not new, the database's ability to search unstructured, handwritten, or smudged text could potentially spawn new conspiracy theories. Similar releases of information in the UK and France have also fueled such speculation.

Astronomy's accidental scientists

HOBBYIST astronomers have inadvertently become scientists through their online photo-sharing. When comet Holmes dramatically brightened on October 27, 2007, becoming visible to the naked eye, amateur astronomers posted almost 2500 photos online. Dustin Lang of Princeton University and David Hogg of New York University utilized these images and the web tool Astrometry.net to position each photo in the sky, creating a montage of the comet. By using this data and a statistical model, they were able to piece together the comet's orbit around the sun without knowing the origin or photographer of each image. This project, described as "citizen science," is unique because the contributors were unwitting. Researchers believe this method could lead to new discoveries, such as identifying unanticipated transient objects like supernovae or gamma ray bursts.

60 Seconds: Brief News Items

• Bald young penguins: Some young penguins in South Africa and Argentina are not regrowing their feathers immediately after moulting, leaving them bald. Researchers suspect an infection but have found no evidence of a parasite.
• Fish curbs depression: A study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting suggests that eating oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids during the last trimester of pregnancy may reduce symptoms of post-partum depression.
• Chinese milk scandal: Three children in China died and 35 others were hospitalized after consuming milk contaminated with nitrite, a preservative. This follows the 2008 melamine scandal where 300,000 people were made ill by milk adulterated to falsely increase protein content.
• Telescope in trouble: NASA has announced that the James Webb Space Telescope, intended to help find life on other planets and study early galaxies, is now projected to launch in 2018, a delay from its previous 2015 target and significantly over budget.
• 50 years of space: This section commemorates 50 years since Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Since then, 520 individuals from 38 countries have traveled to space, and the International Space Station has maintained a continuous human presence for over 10 years.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue reflects New Scientist's typical coverage of diverse scientific fields, including environmental science, health, astronomy, and the unexplained (UFOs). The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting scientific findings and investigations objectively, while also acknowledging public interest in topics like UFOs and space exploration. The magazine highlights the importance of citizen science and the potential for new discoveries through unconventional data collection methods. It also addresses public health concerns, from animal viruses to human mental health and food safety scandals.