Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    A protein’s ebb and flow

    Buildup in the brain of a protein linked to Alzheimer's disease may be due to reduced clearance rather than overproduction of the protein.

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  2. Tech

    Dirty money 2: Expect traces of BPA

    BPA showed up on 21 of the 22 greenbacks surveyed in a new study. And the clean dollar? It appeared quite new, suggesting that dollars only become contaminated as they circulate.

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  3. Life

    Jigsaw genetics

    Fragments of a fetus's genome can be pieced together from the mother's blood to allow prenatal diagnosis of genetic diseases.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    New blood test may predict some heart risk

    People carrying high levels of a protein called cardiac troponin T are more likely to have heart failure or die from cardiovascular problems, two studies show.

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  5. Tech

    Terrorist-resistant ‘source’ of moly-99 hits the U.S.

    Molybdenum-99 is the radioactive feedstock for the most widely used diagnostic nuclear-medicine isotope. On December 6, the first commercial batch of moly-99 that had been produced using a terrorist-resistant process arrived in the United States from a reactor in South Africa.

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  6. Psychology

    Connected at church, happy with life

    People who feel best about their lives combine religious identity with congregational friendships, a survey finds.

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  7. Life

    Friendly fire blamed in some H1N1 deaths

    A poorly targeted immune response to the 2009 pandemic flu virus caused young adults and the middle-aged to suffer more than usual.

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  8. Tech

    Heavier crudes, heavier footprints

    BLOG: Refining heavy oils and tar sands could greatly exaggerate the greenhouse gases associated with fossil-fuel use, a new study finds.

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  9. Life

    Wealth and ambition

    A week in fancier digs inspires rats to seek richer rewards.

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  10. Humans

    Food security wanes as world warms

    Global warming may have begun outpacing the ability of farmers to adapt, new studies report.

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  11. Life

    Dieting may plant seeds of weight regain

    Cutting calories causes changes in the brains of mice that appear to encourage binge eating under stressful conditions years later.

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  12. Chemistry

    Snot has the power to alter scents

    Enzymes in mice's nasal mucus can alter certain odors before the nose can detect them, a new study finds.

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