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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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		EarthArctic images declassified
High-res Arctic sea images should be declassified, says National Research Council.
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		EarthBird deaths blamed on vitamin deficiency
Shortage of thiamine may have been killing birds in the Baltic and possibly elsewhere for some 25 years.
By Susan Milius - 			
			
		EarthErosion, on the down low
Experiments show how microscopic fungi attack minerals to begin the erosion process.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		HumansWhat’s in your bottled water?
A congressional hearing found bottled-water quality is not regulated as strictly as tap water is.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		HumansCourt backs EPA on controlling airborne particles
Upwind polluters can be held responsible for contributing to downwinders' violations of air-pollution standards.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		AnimalsMegafish Sleuth: No Steve Irwin
There's no reason a scientist can't be an action hero — even if his damsels in distress have fins.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		EarthMonster stingrays: Field notes from a global wrangler
A megafish biologist shares what he's learning about a rare freshwater species.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		Health & MedicineBad Breath
New studies detail how the invisible particles that pollute the air can damage heart, lungs and genetic programming.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		EarthNew cyclone predictor
Researchers link occasional sea-surface warming in central Pacific with more, stronger hurricanes in North Atlantic.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		ChemistryConcerns over bisphenol A continue to grow
Recent research finds that the hormone mimic may be more prevalent and more harmful than previously thought, highlighting why BPA is a growing worry for policy makers.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		Health & MedicinePlastics ingredients may shrink babies
A new study links phthalates, one of the more ubiquitous families of pollutants, with a baby being dangerously small at birth.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		EarthHow killer whales are like people
Killer whales may be sentinels for toxic chemicals accumulating in even landlubbers.
By Janet Raloff