Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Diabetes drug helps shed pounds
The diabetes drug pramlintide facilitates year-long weight loss in obese volunteers, a new study shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
This is the brain on age
The activity of genes in men's brains begins to change sooner than it does in women's brains, a new study shows.
- Humans
Stone Age seafood fans
Excavations in two Gibraltar caves suggest that Neandertals, like modern humans, regularly visited the Mediterranean shore to complement a land-based diet with seafood
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Lo-Cal bones hold up
One study of many recent investigations of how calorie restriction affects people shows that bone density does not necessarily suffer when a person loses weight quickly.
By Nathan Seppa - Climate
(Political) party animals
Featured blog: When it comes to attitudes about climate change, the chasm between Democrats and Republicans is wide. Political-polling analysts speculate that a McCain win in November might do more than an Obama victory to win over the minds of climate-change skeptics.
By Janet Raloff - Physics
Apollo or Manhattan Project: Which Paradigm Fits Energy Better?
A new petition developed to lobby the presidential candidates argues that increased federal investments in basic energy research are essential.
By Janet Raloff - Chemistry
A better fate for plastic bottles
Using microbes to convert PET into a high-value plastic could encourage more recycling.
- Health & Medicine
The Candidates’ Shadow Health Advisers
Here are a few names from the teams of advisers counseling the presidential candidates.
By Janet Raloff - Climate
Energy: Apollo-like Program Needed
Big action and big bucks are needed to deal with the United States' energy problems, research leaders argued today.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Pain relief to believe in
Religious believers shown pictures that evoke spiritual responses display brain activity that may contribute to feeling relief from physical pain, a new study finds.
By Bruce Bower - Humans
The presidential candidates on science
The Science Debate 2008 team sent science and technology questions to Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. Find out how they answered.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Plastics chemical linked to heart disease, diabetes
Study is based on data collected from human adults and matches urine concentrations of bisphenol A with type 2 diabetes, heart disease and liver enzyme problems