Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Letters from the January 7, 2006, issue of Science News
Death in the Americas I was wondering if researchers have given any thought to the idea that in the same way that disease devastated human populations after the European discovery of the Americas, perhaps disease was a contributing factor in the demise of much of the fauna of the Western Hemisphere (“Caribbean Extinctions: Climate change […]
- Health & Medicine
Alzheimer Clue: Busy brain connections may have downside
Brain areas that are chronically activated have excess amyloid beta, the waxy protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.
- Anthropology
Stone Age Footwork: Ancient human prints turn up down under
An ancient, dried-up lakeshore in Australia has yielded the largest known collection of Stone Age footprints, made about 20,000 years ago.
- Anthropology
European face-off for early farmers
A new analysis of modern and ancient human skulls supports the idea that early farmers in the Middle East spread into Europe between 11,000 and 6,500 years ago, intermarried with people there, and passed on their agricultural way of life to the native Europeans.
- Health & Medicine
Protein exposes long-term risk from heart problems
Elevated blood concentrations of a certain protein can signal risk of death in people with heart problems.
- Humans
From the December 21 & 28, 1935, issues
Snow in California, outstanding 1935 achievements in science, and an expedition to Tibet.
- Humans
Stem Cell Controversy: Scientist is retracting landmark finding
A South Korean researcher who claimed to have cloned the first human embryonic stem cell is now asking that some of his published work be retracted.
- Health & Medicine
Mixing Vessel: Air pollution helps cholesterol clog arteries
When paired with a diet high in fat, breathing polluted air on a regular basis accelerates the accumulation of dangerous plaques in arteries.
- Humans
Science News of the Year 2005
A review of important scientific achievements reported in Science News during the year 2005.
- Humans
Letters from the December 24 & 31, 2005, issue of Science News
Bends, the truth I very much enjoyed “Cool Birds” (SN: 10/22/05, p. 266). What struck me, however, was a passage that mentioned the “bird’s resistance to the bends” and the researchers’ alleged inability to explain that. As a scuba diver, I know that the bends, or decompression sickness, is caused by breathing compressed air underwater. […]
- Health & Medicine
Protein predicts sickle-cell danger
A biological marker of heart trouble can be used to identify sickle-cell anemia patients who are at greatest risk of developing a serious, disease-related complication.
- Health & Medicine
Transfusions harm some heart patients
Patients who undergo coronary-bypass surgery frequently receive unnecessary blood transfusions as part of their follow-up care.
