News
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Hearing Repaired: Gene therapy restores guinea pigs’ hearing
By turning on a gene that's normally active only during embryonic development, researchers have restored hearing in deaf guinea pigs.
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ChemistryMolecular surgery traps hydrogen inside carbon cage
In a feat of precision chemistry, scientists have locked a pair of hydrogen atoms inside a soccer ball–shaped carbon molecule known as a buckyball.
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Health & MedicineSouthern blacks face excess risk of stroke
Blacks living in southern U.S. states have a greater risk of dying of stroke than do blacks living in northern states.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineStroke patients show dearth of vitamin D
People recovering from a stroke have less vitamin D in their systems than do healthy peers, which could explain why stroke patients often have low bone density and risk breaking bones.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineHigh salt intake hikes stroke risk
People who consume a lot of salt are nearly twice as likely to have a stroke as are people who consume less salt, even when their blood pressures are equivalent.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineVampire spit gives strokes a licking
A drug derived from a component of vampire bat saliva can clear blood clots in the brains of people who have had strokes.
By Nathan Seppa -
Lefties, righties take neural sides in perceiving parts
A brain-imaging study indicates that right-handers and left-handers use different, corresponding neural regions to perceive parts of an object while ignoring the larger entity.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansHigh costs of CT screening
Whole-body computed tomography scans for asymptomatic disease do not appear cost-effective at this time.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthSubway air does extra damage
Airborne particles in subterranean transit stations may be more damaging to human cells than are particles from street-level air.
By Ben Harder -
Planetary ScienceMeteorite on Mars
One of the twin rovers on Mars has discovered the first meteorite ever found on a planet other than Earth.
By Ron Cowen -
HumansLean Times: Proposed budget keeps science spending slim
After accounting for inflation, President Bush's proposed research-and-development budget for fiscal year 2006 is down 1.4 percent from FY 2005, a figure that has many science agencies tightening their belts.
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AnimalsOops! Grab That Trunk: High-diving ants swing back toward their tree
Certain tree-dwelling ants can direct their descent well enough to veer toward tree trunks and climb back home.
By Susan Milius