News

  1. Humans

    Medieval cure-all may actually have spread disease

    Powdered mummies, one of medieval Europe's most popular concoctions for treating disease, might instead have been an agent of widespread germ transmission, new research suggests.

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  2. Suppressed thoughts rebound in dreams

    Thoughts that are consciously suppressed during the day often pop up in dreams, regardless of whether they involve emotionally charged desires, a new study suggests.

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  3. Earth

    New U.N. treaty on toxic exports

    The United Nations enacted a new treaty to ban exportation of any of a list of toxic chemicals without the prior informed consent of an importing nation.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Phthalate exposure from drugs?

    Use of an ingestible prescription drug may explain the highest blood concentration of a chemical plasticizer ever observed.

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  5. Chemistry

    Microbes craft unusual crystals

    Bacteria dwelling in an abandoned iron mine form unusual crystals that could help scientists look for signs of previous life on Mars.

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  6. It’s Time! Fetal lungs tell mom when to deliver baby

    The maturing lungs of a fetus may signal the mother when it's time for labor.

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  7. Animals

    Wolf vs. Raven? Thieving birds may drive canines to form big packs

    A previously underappreciated reason why wolf packs get so big could be the relentless food snitching of ravens.

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  8. Ecosystems

    Coastal Surge: Ecosystems likely to suffer as more people move to the shores

    Rapid development and population growth on and near U.S. coastlines in the near future will probably spell trouble for ecosystems in these areas, scientists say.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Surgical Option: Hysterectomy may top drugs for women with heavy bleeding

    Women who suffer from heavy menstrual bleeding and fail to improve on a hormone-based drug fare better if they choose hysterectomy rather than a regimen of other drugs.

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  10. Tech

    Miniaturized 3-D Printing: New polymer ink writes tiny structures

    A new 3-D printer can build up complex polymer microstructures with features small enough for creating photonic crystals or scaffolds for tissue engineering.

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  11. Planetary Science

    Signs of Water Flow: Oceans of data point to ancient Martian sea

    A robotic rover on Mars has found strong evidence that some rocks near the Martian equator were laid down by a shallow, ancient ocean, indicating one of the most likely places to look for remains of life on the Red Planet.

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  12. Anthropology

    Evolution’s Lost Bite: Gene change tied to ancestral brain gains

    In a controversial new report, a research team proposes that an inactivating gene mutation unique to people emerged around 2.4 million years ago and, by decreasing the size of jaw muscles, set the stage for brain expansion in our direct ancestors.

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