Improved SARS test cuts final case count in United States by half

Washington

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infected only about half as many Americans as was originally thought. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, has revised its official count of 418 down to 211 cases.

Originally, diagnosis was based on clinical criteria including the sudden onset of respiratory distress and high fever. These symptoms overlap with those of other illnesses such as influenza, but SARS can now be differentiated using tests that detect antibodies against the SARS virus.

The World Health Organization says that other countries should similarly use these tests to get a more accurate picture of how many victims the outbreak claimed, and to establish a more accurate profile of the disease's symptoms. But it warns that diagnosis based on clinical symptoms should not be made too restrictive, or positive cases may slip through the net.

→ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars

Women's career award crosses gender divide

Washington

He walks like a man and talks like a man — indeed, Philip Stahl is a man. So why has he won the American Society for Cell Biology's annual Women in Cell Biology Senior Career Recognition Award?

Because, the society says, Stahl has done an outstanding job of promoting women scientists' careers — from campaigning for a daycare centre at his medical school to mentoring female cell biologists who have gone on to prominent positions. It is the first time since the award's inception in 1986 that a man has been honoured.

Stahl, who is chair of cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, studies signal transduction. He credits his career in science to a female professor at West Liberty State College in West Virginia who convinced him, as an undergraduate, to change from accounting to biology. Stahl believes that good mentoring is crucial to encouraging more women to stay in science. “It's a matter of planning, encouragement and support,” he says.

US visa problems curb rise in foreign students

Washington

Record numbers of foreign graduate students are being blocked from studying at US universities because of immigration problems, according to a new study from the American Institute of Physics.

During the 1990s, the number of foreign students enrolled in US graduate physics programmes rose steadily. By 2001, it had actually exceeded the number of American students. But since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the percentage of international students entering the programmes has dropped by almost 10%, according to the survey of 187 US science departments.

Roughly 20% of all international students accepted to study physics in the United States last year were unable to begin their studies on the intended date because of immigration difficulties, the survey found.

→ http://www.aip.org/statistics

NASA to set up safety centre in wake of shuttle crash

Washington

With a report due in August that is expected to criticize its handling of safety concerns before the accident that destroyed the space shuttle Columbia, NASA last week announced the creation of an independent engineering and safety centre at its Langley Research Center in Virginia.

The new centre will have the authority to stop launches if it perceives a problem, and will operate independently — which is one reason that it was not located in Texas or Florida, where the shuttle is managed and prepared for launch. Some 250 personnel throughout NASA will be affiliated with the centre, although only a few will be located at Langley.

Still undecided is how the new centre will coordinate its activities with NASA's existing safety offices, which involve 887 civilian government workers and more than 3,100 contractors and military employees.

Tattoo effects may be more than skin deep

Munich

As fashionable Europeans bask in the sun, displaying their tattoos and piercings, a less fashionable working group of dermatologists and toxicologists is considering whether body art can injure their health.

Wolfgang Bäumler, a dermatologist at the University of Regensburg, Germany, has studied dyes collected from tattooing studios. He found that some contained allergens or carcinogenic agents that could be activated during laser tattoo removal.

The European Commission, which has convened the working group, wants to regulate the licensing, labelling and use of materials as well as hygiene at tattooing studios and staff training. Bäumler and others are now undertaking further studies to learn more about long-term health effects of tattooing and body piercing.

Amateur anglers cast as nature monitors

London

Britain's anglers, hikers and other nature-lovers are being turned into scientific experts in an effort to monitor the status of declining plants and animals. The scheme, called 'Amateurs: the Experts', is being run by the Natural History Museum in London and the government conservation body English Nature.

One project is enlisting anglers to survey populations of river insects such as mayflies (pictured). The John Spedan Lewis Trust for the Advancement of the Natural Sciences in Stockbridge, Hampshire, has run identification workshops for river-keepers and anglers since 1997. Now, with input from museum specialists, the scheme has been expanded, with data being supplied for national recording schemes.

A survey of Britain's ancient elm trees — dubbed Elm Map — has been also been tied to the UK Ramblers' Association's annual Welcome to Walking Week, which begins on 20 September. Fifty of the 350 organized walks will involve data logging for Elm Map.