Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Brain reads word-by-word
The brain reads words as whole units and processes the information quickly, two studies suggest.
- Health & Medicine
New weapon fights hepatitis C
Taking the experimental drug telaprevir with standard medications for hepatitis C clears the virus from patients’ blood better than the standard combination alone.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Institute of Medicine takes on conflicts of interest
The Institute of Medicine seeks to divorce medical research from undue influence by the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries.
By Janet Raloff - Life
Connectivity may play role in autism
Large studies of autism suggest connections between neurons are the culprit.
- Humans
Obama pledges 3 percent of GDP for research
BLOG: Highlights of what the president announced to the National Academy of Sciences.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Swine flu outbreak likely to continue, officials say
Even as public health data on the new outbreak change daily, biological information on the mysterious virus remains scant.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
Obama pledges 3 percent of GDP for research
Pledges for big budget increases for research, permanent tax credits for reseach by industry and more were announced today.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Obama on the swine flu epidemic
New swine flu is "cause for concern," the President acknowledged this morning.
By Janet Raloff - Psychology
Males, females swap sex-role stereotypes
Analysis finds that mating strategies are not universal
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Birth control pills can limit muscle-training gains
Mildly 'androgenic' hormones in some birth-control pills appear to sabotage strength-building exercise.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Morning birds buckle under sleep pressure
Sleep pressure helps set the circadian clocks of early birds and night owls.
- Humans
ED in women: Drugs for men might not help
Women can experience sexual dysfunction just as men can — and for much the same reason — but the little blue pill will likely not solve the problem, new animal data suggest.
By Janet Raloff