Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Do zinc lozenges shorten common colds?
People taking zinc to fight a cold report less coughing, less nasal discharge, and a shorter cold than do people getting a placebo.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Coffee linked to rheumatoid arthritis
People who drink four or more cups of coffee per day appear more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis than are those drinking less.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Data faked in immune-system study
A researcher fabricated evidence suggesting that never-before-seen RNA-DNA-hybrid molecules play a role in creating antibodies.
By John Travis - Health & Medicine
Sperm just say NO to egg cells
Sperm fertilizing an egg produce a whiff of nitric oxide.
By John Travis - Health & Medicine
Marrow converted into brain cells
Scientists can now efficiently transform bone marrow into nerve cells.
By John Travis -
- Humans
From the June 17, 1933, issue
STRATOSPHERE SHELL PREPARED FOR NAVIGATORS The little metal sphere that will be the stratosphere home of two men and scientific instruments for a few hours next month is rapidly being completed (SNL, May 27, ’33, p. 323). It is pictured on the front cover with Dr. Jean F. Piccard emerging at the unfinished vertex of […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Carotid surgery stands test of time
Surgery to remove blockages from the carotid artery in the neck has lasting effects against stroke over several years and even provides some benefit when it's delayed.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Domestic Disease: Exotic pets bring pathogens home
The potentially deadly monkeypox virus has spread from Africa to people in several states via infected pet prairie dogs.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
Full-Length Pregnancy: Progesterone product may reduce premature births
A drug related to the female hormone progesterone helps some pregnant women who are prone to premature birth extend their pregnancies.
By Nathan Seppa - Anthropology
African Legacy: Fossils plug gap in human origins
Scientists who discovered three partial Homo sapiens skulls in Ethiopia that date to nearly 160,000 years ago say that the finds document humanity's evolution in Africa, independently of European Neandertals.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Oh Boy—Is Mom Hungry!
At birth, boys tend to weigh about 100 grams (3.5 ounces) more than girls. An international research team wondered whether that meant that boys’ moms ate more during pregnancy. In data published this week, the scientists now confirm that’s exactly what happens. Though women eat more when carrying a boy, they don’t gain more weight […]
By Janet Raloff