Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Mice, Magnetism, and Reactions on Solids

    The 2007 Nobel prizes in the sciences recognized research in genetics, materials science, and surface chemistry.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Moving up the Charts: Drug-resistant bug invades military, civilian hospitals

    Acinetobacter baumannii, a common bacterium, is becoming more virulent and drug resistant in hospitals.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Antibiotic improves recovery from stroke

    An antibiotic called minocycline seems to limit brain damage and disability in stroke patients.

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  4. Anthropology

    Ancient DNA moves Neandertals eastward

    Evidence from mitochondrial DNA indicates that Neandertals lived 2,000 kilometers farther east than previously thought.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Diabetes precursor may be checked by omega-3 fatty acids

    Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet might fend off diabetes in children prone to the disease.

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  6. Humans

    It’s About Time

    What’s a year? Why do we measure it in days and weeks? How do calendars differ? What’s the earliest known date? (Hint: It’s the year Egyptians invented the calendar.) Learn answers to these and other timely questions at Calendars from the Sky, a site developed in part with support from the National Institute for Standards […]

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  7. Humans

    Letters from the October 13, 2007, issue of Science News

    Another idea blown . . . Conservation by America is not going to decrease global warming (“Asian Forecast: Hazy, Warmer—Clouds of pollution heat lower atmosphere,” SN: 8/4/07, p. 68). We need to imitate known global-cooling events, such as the Krakatoa volcano explosion, which spread sunlight-reflecting dust into the stratosphere in 1883. A hydrogen bomb exploded […]

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  8. Humans

    From the October 2, 1937, issue

    The mystery and magnificence of volcanoes, how bees dance to tell their hive-mates which flowers to visit, and the year's polio cases begin to decline.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Yummy Bugs

    Do you enjoy chocolate? You can make it more nutritious by bugging it—with crickets, for example. Or how about ant-fortified tacos? This site introduces Westerners to the idea that many commonly encountered insects are edible. Indeed, most are lower in fat—and higher in protein—than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken. The site’s author argues that “insects […]

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Diminishing Obesity’s Risks

    Mouse data suggest that, properly managed, obesity can be benign.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Shields Down: A cancer-fighting gene declines in old age

    Decline of an important anti-cancer gene could contribute to increased cancer risk among the elderly.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Fueling a Flu Debate: Do vaccinations save lives among the elderly?

    Flu shots seem to prevent some deaths and limit hospitalizations for pneumonia in elderly people.

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