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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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		Health & MedicineOne Downside to Sushi
Uncooked fish can host detectable concentrations of potentially toxic chemicals — pollutants that cooking can make disappear,
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		HumansToxic yes: Toxins? No
Yet another news story baits us with the promise of reading about noxious toxins – and doesn't deliver.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		AnimalsNot-OK Coral
First big species audit finds coral extinction risks severely under-reported
By Susan Milius - 			
			
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		EarthHowdy, neighbor!
About 800 million years ago, East Antarctica, now one of the coldest regions on Earth, abutted what is now Death Valley, Calif., one of the hottest.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		EcosystemsAspiring to Save the Planet
The failure of the G-8 Summit to put some teeth in greenhouse-gas limits suggests it may be time for a global climate czar.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
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		AgricultureFarm life turns male toads female
A detailed inventory of toads in Florida finds that, as land becomes more agricultural, more cane toads resemble females both inside and out.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		AgricultureFishy Data on Weed Killer
A popular weed killer can feminize wildlife by tinkering with a gene that indirectly affects the production of sex hormones.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		Science & SocietyClimate Threatens Living Fossil
Thanks to global warming, within the lifetimes of certain reptiles in the South Pacific, all members of their species could be born male.
By Janet Raloff - 			
			
		EarthPrecious little gems
Ancient microdiamonds embedded inside ancient zircons found in western Australia suggest that life may have existed on Earth up to 4.25 billion years ago.
By Sid Perkins - 			
			
		ClimateEPA asks: Could you drive less?
Gas prices may need to climb more before most of us do the right thing.
By Janet Raloff