Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Brave New Drug: Compound stops cowpox and smallpox viruses
A new drug called HDP-CDV stops smallpox virus from replicating in lab tests and cowpox virus from replicating in mice, suggesting it could work as a treatment for smallpox in people.
- Anthropology
Unified Erectus: Fossil suggests single human ancestor
A newly found fossil skull may clear up an ongoing debate about whether the human ancestor Homo erectus was a single or several species.
- Health & Medicine
Computer sharing tackles anthrax
A drug-discovery effort using more than a million personal computers worldwide has identified thousands of compounds that could form the basis of a cure for anthrax.
- Health & Medicine
Clot busters may put elderly people at risk
Very elderly people who get clot-dissolving drugs immediately after a heart attack are more likely to die during their hospital stay than similar-age patients who don't get them.
- Humans
Science Smarts: Talent search honors top student projects in math, science, and engineering
Forty students reaped rewards for their excellence this week when the Intel Science Talent Search handed out the top awards in its 2002 competition for high school seniors.
- Health & Medicine
Clever Combo: Hybrid vaccine prevents West Nile virus in mice
A vaccine fashioned from pieces of dengue virus and West Nile virus protects mice against West Nile fever, suggesting it might work in people.
- Health & Medicine
Troubled Hearts: Antibiotic might fend off second attack
An antibiotic might protect people with heart disease from future coronary events, according to the results of a small-scale trial.
- Health & Medicine
Stem Cell Success: Mice fuel debate on embryo cloning
In mouse studies, scientists have used a technique called therapeutic cloning to create personalized replacement tissue.
- Health & Medicine
Eight hours of sleep may not be so great
Sleeping 8 to 9 hours a night doesn't necessarily translate into a longer life.
- Health & Medicine
Alzheimer’s disease vaccine abandoned
Safety concerns forced the shelving of tests of an experimental vaccine for Alzheimer's disease.
- Health & Medicine
Lack of nutrient turns flu nasty
A dietary deficiency in selenium, an essential trace mineral, may cause a usually harmless strain of the flu to mutate into a virulent pathogen.
- Health & Medicine
New human virus tied to obesity
Researchers have identified the second member of a class of human viruses that may increase people's susceptibility to obesity.
