Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Letters from the February 26, 2005, issue of Science News

    Let’s move it, people When I read of the Hubble Space Telescope–repair controversy (“People, Not Robots: Panel favors shuttle mission to Hubble,” SN: 12/18&25/04, p. 388; “Lean Times: Proposed budget keeps science spending slim,” SN: 2/12/05, p. 102), this question comes to mind: Why can’t an unmanned, powered vehicle latch on to Hubble and fly […]

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Study can’t tie EMFs to cancer

    A massive, long-term Swedish study has found no sign that occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields might trigger breast cancer in women.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Ketone diet could help in Parkinson’s

    A strict low-carb diet long used to treat some people with epilepsy has been tailored so that it might fight Parkinson's disease.

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  4. Anthropology

    Human fossils are oldest yet

    Homo sapiens fossils found along Ethiopia's Omo River in 1967 date to 195,000 years ago, making them the oldest-known remains of our species.

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  5. Humans

    Bushmeat on the Menu

    Studies of the bushmeat trade reveal that such meat appeals to people who can't afford anything else and to prestige seekers who certainly can.

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  6. Humans

    From the February 16, 1935, issue

    Saving wild ducks, deciphering Mayan glyphs, and causes of deafness.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Multiple Sclerosis

    This Web site is an excellent starting point for anyone looking into multiple sclerosis (MS), whether as a patient, family member, doctor, researcher, or student. In addition to explaining this autoimmune disorder in detail, it offers links to sites that delve into treatments, current research, fundraising events, clinical trials of new drugs, and breaking news […]

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Healing Gone Haywire: Wound-repair genes signal cancer spread

    An experimental test predicts which breast tumors will spread rapidly without treatment and which are likely to be less aggressive by tracking the activity of genes normally involved in mending injured tissue.

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  9. Archaeology

    In the Buff: Stone Age tools may have derived luster from diamond

    Ancient Chinese people may have used diamonds to polish their stone axes to mirrorlike finishes.

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  10. Humans

    Letters from the February 19, 2005, issue of Science News

    Negative thinking The article “Sweet Glow: Nanotube sensor brightens path to glucose detection” (SN: 1/1/05, p. 3) mentions “ferricyanide, an electron-hungry molecule.” This puzzled me no end. Aren’t ferricyanide molecules, unlike their ions, electrically neutral? I’m trying to visualize ravenous molecules gobbling up innocent electrons. Ernest NussbaumBethesda, Md. Ferricyanide is indeed an ion, with a […]

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Carcinogens in the Diet

    The U.S. government has added chemicals commonly found in overcooked meat to the list of potential cancer causers.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Against the Migraine

    Migraines may be among the problems that stem from a common but rarely diagnosed heart defect, and researchers have discovered that repairing the defect cures some of the headaches.

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