[ science ]
Researchers say slow Helios-like aircraft could act like low-orbiting atmospheric satellites, loitering in areas of interest for long periods with scientific instruments or even following weather systems as they develop and change.

An added reason for NASA's interest in this technology, Mr. Del Frate said, is the possibility of operating remote-controlled aircraft on Mars. Such aircraft could cover large distances flying through the thin atmosphere while sending back to Earth pictures and other data. [ fully story, New York Times ]

08 11 2001

[ music ]
Her songs are magnificently unpredictable. She sings long nonverbal passages that seem to ponder things she cannot say. And she often pared her accompaniment down to a lone guitar or a few keyboard notes, then brought in the full band as her voice leaped out of its nonchalance.
...
Amid volatile desires, Ms. Guerra's songs seek not calm but equilibrium, a shifting harmony. She achieves it with pan-American music that finds grace in the conflicts of the heart. [ full story, New York Times ]

08 05 2001

[ health ]
For every 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, there were 48.7 births last year -- the lowest rate in the six decades the statistic has been kept, the National Center for Health Statistics said.

Last year was the ninth straight year the rate has declined. It has dropped 22 percent since 1991. Pregnancy rates, which account for abortion, have also fallen.
"The continued decline in the teen birth rate is very encouraging news," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. "When teens postpone parenthood, it benefits not only their lives, but society as a whole." [ full story, CNN ]