Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Earth

    Audubon’s insect cafeteria

    Sidebar: Insects.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Insects (the original white meat)

    Dining on insects, usually more by choice than necessity, occurs in at least 100 countries — and may be better than chicken for both people and the environment.

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  3. Animals

    Pandamonium over a Tiny Pest

    A parasite threatens efforts to protect China's endangered icon.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    The Colorful World of Synesthesia

    Science News for Kids explores the sensory explosion that defines the experience of people with this unusual, but not that uncommon nor unwelcome, condition.

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  5. Humans

    From the May 24, 1958 issue

    Ancient Skull Puzzles — The 45,000-year-old Neanderthal skull recently assembled from fragments found in Shanidar Cave in Iraq presents a real scientific puzzle to anthropologists because, although his face was very primitive, the back of his head was more like modern man. The description of Shanidar Man as a being who appeared to be a […]

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Vacillating stem cells

    Unsuspected, ever-changing variation among stem cells in bone marrow helps determine the development path the cells will follow during differentiation.

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  7. Humans

    Butting out together

    Cigarette smokers who know one another tend to kick the habit all at once, highlighting the importance of social forces in smoking-cessation treatment.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Trust again

    The ability to trust others even after violations of trust is regulated by the hormone oxytocin.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Nonstick toxicity

    By mimicking the action of estrogen, a widely used nonstick chemical promotes cancer development in animals.

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  10. Animals

    Courting both ways

    Some extra dopamine, and male fruit flies like boys too.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Donor dilemma

    Blood donors age 16 or 17 are more apt to faint than older donors.

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  12. Chemistry

    Help the Climate: Empty the Fridge

    Yesterday, I reported that in hopes of slowing down global warming, some nations were interested in strengthening the Montreal Protocol – a United Nations treaty to curb releases of chemicals that endanger stratospheric ozone. But I didn’t really get into what they had up their sleeves. It turns out they want signatory nations to eliminate […]

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