Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Anthropology
Cultures of Reason
East Asian and Western cultures may encourage fundamentally different reasoning styles, rather than build on universal processes often deemed necessary for thinking.
- Health & Medicine
Oxygen limits infections from surgery
Giving patients extra oxygen during and shortly after colorectal surgery halves the incidence of infection.
- Health & Medicine
Stem Cell Gain: Bone marrow cells seem to have what it takes
Tests show that a rodent bone marrow cell similar to one found in people acts as a multipurpose stem cell, much as embryonic stem cells do.
- Health & Medicine
Enough Isn’t Enough: An epidemic of vitamin D deficiency
Many U.S. women of childbearing age, particularly those of African descent, lack sufficient vitamin D even though they consume the recommended amount.
- Humans
Dangerous Wake: Wing vortices yield a deadly secret
A new mathematical analysis of an aeronautical hazard known as wake turbulence could someday lead to improved air safety and increase the number of flights at major airports.
- Health & Medicine
Let Them Eat Cake: Altered mice stay svelte on a high-fat diet
A protein that links gluttony and weight gain may be a novel target for antiobesity drugs.
- Health & Medicine
Chinese chimneys slash lung cancer risk
People in rural China who replace rudimentary domestic hearths with well-ventilated stoves enjoy both less-smoky homes and a dramatic reduction in their risk of developing lung cancer.
- Health & Medicine
New clue stirs up lithium mystery
Lithium and two other mood-stabilizing drugs may all work by depleting nerve cells of a chemical that the cells use to signal each other.
- Health & Medicine
Drug cuts risk of seizures in pregnancy
An inexpensive drug treatment lessens the risk of seizures that sometimes strike and even kill women during pregnancy or immediately after delivery.
- Health & Medicine
USDA gives nod to irradiating meats
The federal government approved food irradiation, the only technology known to kill an especially lethal strain of bacteria, for use on raw meats.
- Health & Medicine
This roe’s got a fish-E surprise
Scientists discovered a potent, new form of vitamin E, an antioxidant, in fish adapted for life in cold water.
- Health & Medicine
The salmon that went moo
People allergic to milk products could face potentially life-threatening risks by eating casein-treated fish.
