Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Parenting shapes genetic risk for drug use

    A three-year study of black teens in rural Georgia finds that involved, supportive parenting powerfully buffers the tendency of some genetically predisposed youngsters to use drugs.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Fingerprints filter the vibrations fingers feel

    A new robotics study suggests that the ridges select the right frequencies for light touch

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  3. Earth

    ‘Science fraud’ alleged in urban lead incident

    Virginia engineer charges data were buried or manipulated to hide the lead-poisoning implications to children of water contamination in the nation's capital.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Donating a kidney doesn’t hurt long-term health

    A survey of donors since the 1960s finds survival rates on par with the general population.

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  5. Humans

    Young scientists clear hurdle in national competition

    Intel Science Talent Search finalists announced.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    I feel your pain, even though I can’t feel mine

    A new imaging study looks at how people are able to empathize with others, even when they haven’t experienced something firsthand.

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  7. Earth

    Toxic Lead: Watch Out for Schools

    Schools may present the "worst case" for encountering lead-tainted water, an engineer reports finding.

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  8. Earth

    Water-cleanup experiment caused lead poisoning

    Featured blog: Lead concentrations spiked in many children living in the nation's capital after the local water authority altered the treatment used to disinfect drinking water.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Newborns pick up the beat

    Electrical measurements of sleeping newborn babies’ brains indicate that the 2- to 3-day-olds automatically detect a regular beat in rhythmic sequences, possibly reflecting an early capacity for learning music.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Possible anticancer power in fasting every other day

    When mice ate as important as what they ate in reducing cell division linked to cancer, new study reports.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Overly Hungry for Frogs

    Frogs are shipped half-way round the world to sate human appetites for this lean white meat.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Darkness, melatonin may stall breast and prostate cancers

    New studies suggest strong links between melatonin and breast and prostate cancers.

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