Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Movies put smoking in a bad light

    Smokers in American films are more likely to be villains than heroes, a review of movies from the 1990s shows.

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  2. Humans

    From the August 24, 1935, issue

    Learning from spiders, a tiny electric motor, and two new cancer-causing chemicals.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Dark Side of a Blood Builder: Hormone linked to diabetic blindness

    Erythropoietin, a hormone that orchestrates growth processes, may contribute to eye damage in people with diabetic retinopathy.

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  4. Anthropology

    A Seasoned Ancient State: Chinese site adds salt to civilization’s rise

    Analyses of remains from an ancient Chinese site situated along a river indicate that salt making occurred there as long as 4,000 years ago.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Stroke site is often not right

    Thousands of strokes in the right half of the brain may go unrecognized because their symptoms are less distinctive than those of left-side strokes.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Targeted Attack

    Scientists are piecing together the details of how mutations in a protein called EGFR can lead to cancer, and they are designing a new class of drugs to stop the protein's destructive behavior.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    The Kindest Cuts Are Underwater

    Fruits and veggies stay fresher longer when they're peeled and sliced underwater, not on the countertop.

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  8. Humans

    Letters from the August 20, 2005, issue of Science News

    Just a little gas “Energy on Ice” (SN: 6/25/05, p. 410) states that the gas-hydrate deposit near Prudhoe Bay “contains more than 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. That’s twice the total amount of natural gas consumed annually in the United States. …” Does it behoove us to invest the time and dollars it will […]

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  9. Humans

    From the August 17, 1935, issue

    Cactus gardening for a dry summer, Echo-sounding to locate fish, and suspended animation in humans.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    X Ray Excels: Technique brings a new image to medicine

    Recent advances in a technique called phase-contrast x-ray imaging could make it easier for physicians to spot tumors, clogged arteries, and other soft-tissue problems.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Comb over Chemicals: Tool may rid heads of pesticideproof lice

    Used systematically, special combs may be more effective than insecticidal shampoos at ridding a child's scalp of head lice.

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  12. Anthropology

    Reservoirs of Evolution: Rainy periods linked to human origins in Africa

    Three phases of heavy rainfall in eastern Africa between 2.7 million and 900,000 years ago created deep lakes and might have played a critical role in the evolution of human ancestors.

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