Health & Medicine
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Health & MedicineGlucose galore
Pregnant women with elevated blood sugar are more likely to have oversized babies, posing a risk to mother and newborn.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineLeaving a mark
Child abuse may leave chemical marks on the brains of people who later kill themselves.
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AgricultureEthanol Fallout: Health Risks for Livestock
With Uncle Sam pushing the production of ethanol for fuel, U.S. farmers are planting more corn than at any time since World War II, and garnering premium prices for each harvested bushel. But many livestock operations are getting hit with a double whammy: higher feeds costs and corn-derived feed that’s carrying triple the normal load of fungal poisons.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineStub it out
Quitting cigarettes shows health benefits even decades after the last puff.
By Nathan Seppa -
LifeDNA tweak no good for diabetics
A genetic variation that increases levels of a blood-building protein also ups the risk of developing complications from diabetes.
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Health & MedicinePotential for protection
A study of U.S. veterans suggests that the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen could have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers say more work is needed.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineRice Woes, Pt. 1
A shortfall in rice production has been developing well under the radar screen of agricultural economists and growers. The bad news: It promises to get much worse, and fairly soon.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthIt’s the meat not the miles
Eating less red meat and dairy may do more to reduce food-associated greenhouse gas emissions than shopping locally.
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Health & MedicineTreat ’em
High blood pressure often goes untreated in people 80 and over, but a new study suggests that treatment extends survival.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineMondo bizarro
Psychiatrists measuring the degree of similarity between dreams and psychotic ruminations report some strange features common to both.
By Amy Maxmen -
Health & MedicineFriend or foe? Drunk, the brain can’t tell
Intoxicated brains can’t discern between threatening and safe situations.
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Health & MedicineLet there be light
Researchers report restoring vision to people with a rare, genetic form of blindness. A different technique helped blind mice see again and could bring back some sight in people with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa or other blinding diseases.