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EarthTainted by Cleanser: Antimicrobial agent persists in sludge
About 76 percent of a commonly used antimicrobial agent exits sewage-treatment plants as a component of the sludge that's often used as a farm fertilizer.
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HumansLetters from the May 6, 2006, issue of Science News
Same old grind “Ancient Andean Maize Makers: Finds push back farming, trade in highland Peru” (SN: 3/4/06, p. 132) remarks on maize starch granules being “consistent with” stone grinding. The presence of lowland arrowroot on one tool is consistent with trade, but it is equally consistent with a wandering hunter grabbing a root in the […]
By Science News -
Wired for math
The same neural circuits that adults use to perform complex calculations are already at work in preschoolers doing basic math.
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HumansClinical trials really pay off
Large-scale human trials of new treatments in medicine have the potential to offer huge economic benefits from improved quality of life.
By Janet Raloff -
PhysicsConfined gas rejects compromise
Pairs of tiny gas clouds of unequal energies mixing inside narrow tubes retain their original energy differences.
By Peter Weiss -
AnimalsJust turn your back, Mom
A female in a species of legless amphibians called caecilians nourishes her youngsters by letting them eat the skin off her back.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineLiver regeneration tied to bile acids
Bile, a digestive juice, plays an integral role in the regeneration of liver tissue.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTwo drugs are equal in preventing breast cancer
A commonly prescribed anti-osteoporosis drug works as well at preventing breast cancer as the sole drug currently prescribed for the task.
By Nathan Seppa -
HumansStudy finds bias in peer review
Researchers have found evidence of bias when scientists review data and the researcher's name and affiliation are available to the reviewers.
By Janet Raloff -
AnimalsBird hormone cuts noise distractions
A jolt of springtime hormones makes a female sparrow's brain more responsive to song.
By Susan Milius -
Planetary ScienceThe Whole Enceladus
Saturn's moon Enceladus has become the hottest new place to look for life in the chilly outer solar system.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthParticular Problems
Toxicologists and chemists are forging a new field called nanotoxicology as they grapple with assessing the safety of engineered nanoparticles.