Uncategorized
- Humans
Letters from the April 22, 2006, issue of Science News
Second cousins With reference to “Chimps creep closer yet” (SN: 2/11/06, p. 94), some scientists say that bonobos are genetically closer to humans than to chimps. How did they compare in the referenced study? Dick MedvickCleveland Heights, Ohio Bonobos are indeed as genetically close to humans as are chimps, but there wasn’t enough genomic data […]
- Tech
A better test for lung cancer?
A genetic test of cells lining the windpipe can detect lung cancer in smokers.
- Health & Medicine
Hot-pepper ingredient slows cancer in mice
Capsaicin, the component of red pepper that makes it hot, kills cancer cells in a test tube and inhibits their growth in mice.
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19670
This article raises a couple of questions for me. Recently, I drank some clam-tomato juice that contained jalapeño puree. It seemed to alleviate some of my internal ailments. So, I wonder if jalapeño peppers also contain capsaicin. Norman MooreBoca Raton, Fla. Jalapeño peppers do contain capsaicin, but it’s impossible to say whether the substance delivers […]
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RNA test might reveal early cancer, offer drug target
Short strands of genetic material called microRNAs could allow scientists to determine which colorectal cancers are likely to recur and might offer targets for new anti-cancer drugs.
- Animals
Worm can crawl out of predators
A parasitic worm can wriggle out through a predator's gills or mouth if the predator eats the worm's insect host. With video.
- Health & Medicine
Protein interacts with hormone that quells hunger
A protein that's more abundant in the blood of obese people inactivates leptin, a hormone that controls hunger.
- Planetary Science
Ice among the rocks
A newly discovered trio of icy comets, hidden among the thousands of rocks in the main asteroid belt, may be part of a previously unknown class and a primary source of water for the dry, early Earth.
- Ecosystems
Antarctic birds are breeding later
Rising global temperatures are causing Arctic birds to breed earlier in the spring, but for Antarctic birds, the reverse is true.
- Math
Men, Women, Cars, and Crashes
Why do men, whether as drivers or pedestrians, have a much higher rate of traffic fatalities than women do? For more math, visit the MathTrek blog.
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19669
After taking some of the bias tests talked about in this article, I am very skeptical. Since the major tool is speed of reaction, and since my eyes are not too good now, the results were very curious and probably totally unreliable: Though a lifelong, unprejudiced heterosexual, the test has me biased in favor of […]
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The Bias Finders
A simple test of unconscious preferences has achieved great popularity among psychologists and, at the same time, sparked heated debate over how it works and whether it shows widespread implicit biases against black people.
