Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Letters from the August 28, 2004, issue of Science News
In spite of them? Evidently, death waits for no one, except in Belgium (“Death Waits for No One: Deferred demises take a couple of hits,” SN: 6/5/04, p. 356: Death Waits for No One: Deferred demises take a couple of hits). Around 40 years ago, Belgian doctors went on strike for 3 months. If I […]
- Humans
From the August 18, 1934, issue
The Great Dust Storm of 1934, preferred sleep position and handedness, and tensor theory applied to electrical machinery.
- Health & Medicine
Finding a Missing Link: Scientists show a new connection between inflammation and cancer
Scientists studying gastrointestinal cancer in mice have found powerful evidence of a molecular connection between inflammation and cancer.
- Health & Medicine
Unorthodox Strategy: New cancer vaccine may thwart melanoma
In experiments on mice, destroying good skin cells can induce the immune system to kill cancerous versions of these cells.
- Health & Medicine
Demanding careers may thwart Alzheimer’s
People who spend many years in mentally taxing jobs are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than are people who do more-routine work.
- Humans
Letters from the August 21, 2004, issue of Science News
Complex issue When cyanobacteria and plants transfer electrons photosynthetically, light is absorbed not by their photosynthetic proteins but by chlorophylls (“Protein Power: Solar cell produces electricity from spinach and bacterial proteins,” SN: 6/5/04, p. 355: Protein Power: Solar cell produces electricity from spinach and bacterial proteins). Some of these proteins indeed participate in electron flow, […]
- Humans
From the August 11, 1934, issue
Ruins of magnificent Assyrian palace uncovered, termites need fungus to thrive, and Homo sapiens thought to be 10 million years old.
- Health & Medicine
Joint Effort: Bacteria in yogurt combat arthritis in rats
Yogurt containing certain types of live bacteria may help prevent or treat arthritis.
- Health & Medicine
Curbing Allergy to Insect Venom: Therapy stops reactions to stings years later
Some children don't outgrow an allergy to insect stings, but immunizations against such allergies can protect them into adulthood.
- Health & Medicine
Old-fashioned circumcision can spread herpes
Boys whose ritual circumcisions involve an ancient, and now rare, practice may acquire herpes during the operation.
- Health & Medicine
Severe sweating treated with Botox
A new treatment has been approved for excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, which is surprisingly common.
- Humans
Letters from the August 14, 2004, issue of Science News
It’s a groove thing I don’t want to downplay genuine discovery, but your story about optically reading old records left me a little underwhelmed (“Groovy Pictures: Extracting sound from images of old audio recordings,” SN: 5/29/04, p. 339: Groovy Pictures: Extracting sound from images of old audio recordings). The optical playing of records has been […]
