Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Early Warning? Spinal fluid may signal Alzheimer’s presence

    Spinal-fluid concentrations of two compounds already linked to the disease may reveal whether a person has Alzheimer's disease.

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  2. Humans

    From the September 16, 1933, issue

    HERDS OF WILD ASSES STILL ROAM MONGOLIAN PLAINS Wild asses, which still roam the vast plains of Mongolia in great herds, are marvels of speed and endurance, according to Roy Chapman Andrews of the American Museum of Natural History, who has hunted and photographed them in the course of his many years of scientific exploration […]

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  3. Health & Medicine

    To Your Health?

    Doctors are divided on whether the value of screening the torso with X-rays to find symptomless disease outweighs the costs.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Male Choice

    The search for new contraceptives for men.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Insulin inaction may hurt even nondiabetics

    Flawed insulin activity may lead to blood changes that foster atherosclerosis, even in people who don't have diabetes.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Gene Tied to Heightened Diabetes Risk

    People with three particular variations within the gene that encodes the protein calpain-10 face triple the risk of getting type II diabetes.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Another Green That Might Prevent Breast Cancer

    Many studies have indicated that diets high in produce–including broccoli and other veggies–may lower a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Now, California researchers report data suggesting that drinking green tea does the same thing. Bad news for women who–like me–prefer black tea: The study failed to identify a similar advantage from such brews, much […]

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Paper Chased: Cancer-vaccine study is retracted

    Researchers in Germany have retracted a paper that reported promising results for a vaccine that elicited immune responses against cancer cells.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Sweet Relief: Comfort food calms, with weighty effect

    Chronic stress might drive people to consume comfort foods that can soothe the brain.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Damage Patrol: Enzyme may reveal cancer susceptibility

    People with lung cancer show less DNA-repair activity by a certain enzyme than people without the disease do.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Control of animal epidemic slowed human illness

    Control measures implemented in response to the devastating animal epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease can apparently help curtail the spread of the cryptosporidium parasite, which sickens people.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Coronary calcium may predict death risk

    The amount of calcium in the coronary arteries can serve as a risk marker for people who are otherwise without heart disease symptoms.

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