DOG AIDS COMATOSE BOY: Doctors in Houston report that a Germanshepherd helped a comatose boy recover. A car accident left NeilStortz comatose for three months. While studying animal-assistedtherapy, doctors at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Researchlast year let a German shepherd named Rex hop on Neil's bed and lickhis face. A week later, Neil came out of the coma, and his firstmemory was of Rex. Neil, 10, is in school and is beginning to walk.Rex didn't awaken Neil, but gave him motivation to recover after heawoke, doctors said. 'It's not a miracle,' said Dr. CatherineBontke. 'The brain has to heal, and it just happened that when Neilmet up with the dog, it was time for him to awaken.' DANGEROUS ICE: Much of the North American supply of a highlyaddictive drug called 'ice' apparently is smuggled through Hong Kong,where a government chemist calls the drug 'so strong that after thefirst hit you are hooked.' Ice, or methamphetamine, is sold inicelike crystals and may be more addictive than crack cocaine. Usersgrind it to a fine powder and snort or smoke it in a water pipe.Ice is an upper that can cause violent behavior, paranoia,hallucinations and severe liver and kidney damage. SOUNDS OF SILENCE: Several companies are developing speakers thatfight sound with sound. Sound waves from the devices aresynchronized with soundwaves from unwanted noise in such a way thatthey cancel each other out. The result: silence. In tomorrow'scar, a speaker in the exhaust system might silence engine noise aswell as or better than a muffler. A Wisconsin company is trying toreduce noise from factory machinery, and Bose Corp. is makingsound-reducing headphones for pilots. NEWTON WAS RIGHT: The great English physicist Isaac Newton describedhow the force of gravity varies with distance. Newton's 'inversesquare law' of gravity applies at any distance, whether it's the moonorbiting Earth or the apple that supposedly fell on Newton's head.Several years ago, scientists reported finding a surprising componentof gravity, known as the 'fifth force,' that would act only overdistances of a few miles. But new measurements at the University ofColorado cast doubt on those findings. 'Newton has been vindicatedon the plains of Colorado,' said researcher James Faller. 4,500 BOOKS SAVED: The University of Illinois has the largestlibrary west of the Potomac. But 37 percent of its 5 million booksare falling apart and 34 percent are endangered. Modern paper madefrom wood pulp contains substances that make the paper brittle,stained and crumbly. Recycled paper will make the problem worsebecause the fibers are shorter and weaker. The U. of I. has receiveda $488,000 federal grant to microfilm 4,500 brittle books. Bookswith pages that can't be folded four times without cracking qualifyfor preservation, unless they've been microfilmed by another library. BREAST CANCER HANDBOOK: Y-ME, the National Organization for BreastCancer Information and Support, is offering a free, 42-page handbook.It covers such topics as breast exams, risk factors, plastic surgery,radiation therapy, treatment alternatives and how to talk tosurgeons. It's titled 'If You've Thought About Breast Cancer . ..' and is available by calling (800) 221-2141.
