Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Alcohol heart benefits show up even after bypass surgery

    Having two to three drinks a day was associated with decreased heart problems in men during the three years after the operation, researchers from Italy report.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Mom’s past drug abuse may alter brain chemistry of offspring

    A new study in rats suggests that the lingering effects of adolescent opiate use may be passed on for two generations, even if the female is drug-free when she gets pregnant.

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  3. Life

    Rare mutations key to brain disorders

    Many cases of mental retardation can be explained by genetic variants that arise in affected individuals.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    A new way for blind mice to see

    A new type of prosthetic eye can analyze patterns of cell activity to reproduce images similar to those produced in normal vision.

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  5. Humans

    Online comments maybe not total waste of time

    Conversations on news sites reveal patterns in how information and ideas spread.

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  6. Psychology

    Many unhappy returns for wandering minds

    A cell phone–based survey finds that people frequently feel worse when their minds wander than when they focus on the moment.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Fructose poses gout risks even in women

    Soft drinks are an even more potent source of the fat-generating sugar than had been thought, new research shows.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Laptops and infertility: It matters how you sit

    Men who keep their legs together while using the computers generate more sperm-endangering scrotal heat than those who splay them, a study finds.

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  9. Life

    Soil search suggests broad roots for antibiotic resistance

    Drug-defeating genes are everywhere, but don’t blame dirt-dwelling bacteria for resistance seen in the clinic.

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  10. Tech

    Seeing red: Next installment in BPA-paper saga

    Consumers now have a way to identify cash register tape that is free of endocrine-disrupting chemical.

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  11. Humans

    Climate researcher speaks out

    BLOG: Michael Mann says scientists have lost control of the public message about climate change, Alexandra Witze reports from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing meeting.

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  12. Life

    The sandman gene

    Researchers find another genetic variant linked to sleep duration.

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