Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Archaeology
Almond Joy, Stone Age Style: Our ancestors had a bash eating wild nuts
New finds at a 780,000-year-old Israeli site indicate that its ancient residents used stone tools to crack open a variety of hard-shelled nuts that were gathered as a dietary staple.
- Health & Medicine
Suspicious DNA: Chromosome study homes in on Alzheimer’s disease
Several human chromosomes now face intensified scrutiny for possibly harboring genes involved in Alzheimer's disease.
- Health & Medicine
Chill Out: Mild hypothermia aids heart attack recovery
Icing down patients who have just had a heart stoppage may boost their survival chances and prevent brain damage in those who pull through.
- Health & Medicine
Indoor tanning ups all skin cancer rates
Artificial sunbathing using ultraviolet lights increases the risk of all types of skin cancer.
- Health & Medicine
Alzheimer’s vaccine trial is suspended
A drug company in Ireland has halted tests of an experimental vaccine for Alzheimer's disease.
- Health & Medicine
Vitamin Void: Heart disease may lurk in B12 deficiency
Meatless eating typically improves cardiovascular health, but a dietary shortage of vitamin B12 may lead to an overabundance of the amino acid homocysteine in some vegetarians, which could pose a risk to their hearts.
- Health & Medicine
Antibody Warfare: Vaccine halts microbes in dialysis patients
A vaccine protects many kidney-dialysis patients from blood infection caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.
- Health & Medicine
Low birth weight matters later, too
Premature babies weighing less than 1.5 kilograms at birth grow up to have lower achievement scores on standard tests and are less likely to go to college than are full-term babies weighing more than twice as much.
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- Anthropology
A Fair Share of the Pie
A cross-cultural project suggests that people everywhere divvy up food and make other economic deals based on social concepts of fairness, not individual self-interest.
- Anthropology
The Way We Were
Dig into news, educational material, and even an online documentary about the contentious science of human evolution. This impressive Web site is operated jointly by the Institute of Human Origins and Arizona State University. Go to: http://www.becominghuman.org/
- Humans
Protection money: Budget favors defense and bioterror research
The budget proposal that President Bush forwarded to Congress includes the largest-ever increase for scientific research and development, with particularly generous provisions for defense and health research programs.
