Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    From the February 18, 1933, issue

    OUTWITTING VAMPIRES AND VIPERS When a vampire is a supernatural creature, science laughs at it. But when it is a disease-bearing bat, science sets its disease-fighters to work seeking a way to conquer it. Down in Panama, the disease-fighters of the Gorgas Memorial Institute, in addition to carrying on their regular job of fighting malaria, […]

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Cancer Quest

    Developed at Emory University, the CancerQuest Web site offers insights into the biology of cancer. The site provides clear, concise information about how the disease works, accompanied by interactive graphics and a handy glossary. Topics range from cell structure and genetic change to tumor biology and cancer treatment. Go to: http://www.cancerquest.org/

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Carbon monoxide may limit vascular damage

    Carbon monoxide given in small doses to rats can prevent injury to blood vessels caused by surgery.

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  4. Archaeology

    Farming sprouted in ancient Ecuador

    Analyses of microscopic plant remains from two archaeological sites indicate that people began to grow squash in Ecuador's lowlands between 10,000 and 9,000 years ago, when agriculture was also taking root in Mexico.

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  5. Humans

    From the July 12, 1930, issue

    FISH’S-EYE VIEW A poet once wished for the gift to see ourselves as others see us. An artist has achieved it. Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson, of New York, has cultivated the ability to see things from the fish’s point of view, taking into account the squeezed perspective one gets through the little “window” in the water […]

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Being a dad comes naturally

    Men whose wives are about to give birth show hormonal fluctuations that may predispose them to better parenting behavior.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Heart risks linked to infertility syndrome

    Women with polycystic ovaries—commonly linked to infertility—are more likely than women without the disease to show early signs of heart disease.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Huntington’s Advance: Drug limits disease effects in laboratory mice

    A compound that inhibits enzymes that act as stop signs for genes counteracts the movement disorders brought on by Huntington's disease, a mouse study suggests.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Montezuma’s Welcome Revenge? Bacterial toxin may fend off colon cancer

    A diarrhea-inducing toxin from some strains of the common gut bacterium E. coli stifles colon cancer cell growth and may lead to new treatments.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Worms offer the skinny on fat genes

    The identification of worm genes that regulate fat storage may provide insight into human obesity.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    ‘Don’t Drink Alone’ Gets New Meaning

    In what may be bad news for bars and pubs, a European research consortium has found that people drinking alcohol outside of meals have a significantly higher risk of cancer in the mouth and neck than do those taking their libations with food. Luigino Dal Maso of the Cancer Referral Center in Aviano, Italy, and […]

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  12. Humans

    From the February 11, 1933, issue

    YELLOW SODIUM LIGHT EFFECTIVE OUTDOORS A commercial application has been found for the extremely efficient sodium-vapor lamp. A highway in Holland is now illuminated with these light units giving off an intense yellow glow; and this light, which makes color discrimination impossible and is devastating to Miladys makeup, is said to be especially desirable for […]

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