Bubble mission
A NASA spacecraft launched on Sunday will map the size and shape of the 鈥渂ubble鈥� surrounding our solar system, where the solar wind collides with interstellar gas. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission will observe this region from Earth orbit by collecting particles flung our way from the border zone.
Arctic heat
Autumn air temperatures have risen to record levels in the Arctic. According to an annual report from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, average air temperatures this fall are 5 掳C above normal. The researchers put it down to the major loss of sea ice in the region in recent years. This allows more solar heating of the ocean, which in turn warms the air.
Moving evolution
An enormous seed bank proposed by US scientists to capture the world鈥檚 plant diversity could spot evolution in action. Traditional seed banks are static because they are aimed at conservation, but the proposed repository would regularly collect and study samples. This could document adaptations in plants 鈥� particularly the effects of climate change, such as early flowering (BioScience, vol 58, p 870).
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Baby boomer blues
Middle-aged white people fuelled the first rise in US suicides for a decade. In this group, there was a 3.9 per cent increase in suicides per year between 1999 and 2005 in women and 2.7 per cent in men. Midlife crises and drug abuse by 鈥渂aby boomers鈥� are suggested as possible causes (American Journal of Preventive Medicine, ).
Killer dog food
Almost 1500 raccoon dogs have died in China after eating food contaminated with melamine, the industrial chemical that killed four babies 鈥� and sickened thousands 鈥� after they drank tainted formula milk. The dogs, bred for fur, were on a farm in Liaoning province.