Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Weighing In on City Planning

    Accumulating evidence suggests that urban sprawl discourages physical activity and may thereby contribute to obesity and related health problems.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Salmon Safety

    Scientific advice on the subject of how much salmon it is safe to eat has been confusing.

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  3. Humans

    Letters from the January 20, 2007, issue of Science News

    Sea tales In “Dashing Rogues” (SN: 11/18/06, p. 328) on rogue waves, you make no mention of the use of satellite data, which is ideal for this sort of study. Two projects, in particular, are of great relevance: the European Union’s MaxWave study and the subsequent WaveAtlas project. The former, with just 3 weeks’ data, […]

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  4. Humans

    From the January 9, 1937, issue

    A new AAAS president, preventing blood clots, and new elements in the sun.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    No Fluke: New weapon against tropical parasite

    An experimental drug shows potential against schistosomiasis.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Folic Acid Dilemma: One vitamin may impair cognition if another is lacking

    The nutrient folic acid is generally good for brain health, but research now suggests that too much of it might harm people who get too little vitamin B12.

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  7. Humans

    Congress upgrades fisheries protection

    Congress has reauthorized and strengthened a 30-year-old federal law governing fishing and ocean management.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Putting the kibosh on black cohosh

    The herbal supplement black cohosh is no more effective than a placebo in reducing the number of daily hot flashes in menopausal women.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Good news for people with clotting disorder

    Several experimental drugs show promise against the bleeding disorder known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

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  10. Humans

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

    Sunny exposition “The Antibiotic Vitamin” (SN: 11/11/06, p. 312) reminds me that in preantibiotic days, tuberculosis patients were put on a fresh-air-and-sunshine regimen. Could the vitamin D so acquired account for the cures this system sometimes produced? Nancy AxfordSacramento, Calif. Researcher John J. Cannell points to TB sanitariums as anecdotal evidence that sunlight fights infections.—J. […]

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Better Blood: New tool removes agent of brain disease

    Scientists have developed a device that filters from blood the mutant proteins that cause the human form of mad cow disease, an advance that may hold promise for increasing the safety of donated blood.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Bad to the Bone: Acid stoppers appear to have a downside

    Popular acid-reducing drugs called proton-pump inhibitors may increase the risk of hip fractures in people over 50.

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