Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Federal shutdown would muzzle federal science
Even a brief shutdown would have on the dissemination of data. Scientific data, for instance. Such as new findings from research studies with public health implications.
- Health & Medicine
Body & Brain
Food tastes less fatty to overweight people, plus an itch protein and thirsty rats in this week’s news.
- Health & Medicine
Gut microbes may foster heart disease
In breaking down a common dietary fat, helpful bacteria initiate production of an artery-hardening compound, mouse experiments suggest.
- Humans
Genetic roots of ‘orchid’ children
Kids who inherit certain DNA variants may be most likely to wilt in bad circumstances and bloom in good ones.
- Psychology
Shocking experiment shows talk is cheap
Though most people swear they'd never hurt anybody for money, most are also quick to shock a new acquaintance for a few quid when actually given the chance, a British study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Beer, bugs, DNA linked to stomach cancer
Guzzlers who have a particular genetic variant and an unnoticed bacterial infection are at high risk, a European study finds.
- Life
Sugar fuels growth of insulin-making cells
Mouse study suggests a new strategy for treating diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
Meditators can concentrate the hurt away
Experiment participants felt less pain while practicing mindfulness.
- Health & Medicine
Breast milk may harbor cancer clues
Analysis could provide a noninvasive means for testing risk in women, an early-stage study shows.
- Humans
Record ‘Arctic’ ozone minimum expands beyond Arctic
In mid-March, our online story about the thinning of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic noted that conditions appeared primed for regional ozone losses to post an all-time record. On April 5, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Michel Jarraud announced that Arctic ozone had indeed suffered an unprecedented thinning. And these air masses are on the move to mid-latitudes.
- Humans
Brain’s mirror system loves the robot
Experiments that shed light on how the "monkey see, monkey do" part works may suggest why we feel sad for Wall-E.
- Health & Medicine
Heart drug may fight prostate cancer
Digitalis inhibits the common malignancy in lab tests, and long-term users are less likely to develop the disease, a study shows.
