Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Double Duty: Diabetes drug protects reopened heart vessels
A drug normally prescribed to hold blood sugar in check provides an unexpected benefit to heart patients.
- Anthropology
New Guinea Went Bananas: Agriculture’s roots get a South Pacific twist
Inhabitants of New Guinea began to cultivate bananas in large quantities nearly 7,000 years ago, an agricultural practice that spread to Southeast Asia and throughout the Pacific region.
- Health & Medicine
MRI detects missed breast cancers
Magnetic resonance imaging detects breast cancer better than does mammography and might be preferable for certain women at high risk.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer vaccine gets first test in patients
The first clinical test of a cancer vaccine that targets a protein called carcinoembryonic antigen shows promise.
- Health & Medicine
Early cancer therapy and heart problems
Pediatric cancer treatment with chest radiation or anthracyclines can cause a heightened risk of heart disease at an earlier age than previously believed.
- Health & Medicine
Gene profiles might guide chemotherapy
Profiles of genetic variations in cancer patients could help oncologists predict the outcome of chemotherapy.
- Health & Medicine
Target: Celiac Disease
With the aim of releasing people with celiac disease from a strict, lifelong diet that lacks the wheat protein gluten, researchers are working to identify molecular targets that could block the disease’s hallmark, the degeneration of the lining of the small intestine.
- Humans
Russia’s nuclear-safety issues spread
A leading Russian environmentalist, Aleksandr Nikitin, says Russia's problems with nuclear-waste management should concern people beyond that country's borders.
- Humans
Cutting edge chemistry rushes online
A new online server offers a place for communicating chemistry research to other scientists quickly and without peer review.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
