News
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Rats join the roster of clones
Scientists have finally cloned the rat, setting the stage for the creation of genetically engineered rats that can be used to study many more diseases in humans.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineMaking the heart burn
Burning chest pain during a heart attack may stem from a protein that also responds to chili peppers.
By John Travis -
Health & MedicineCoronary Fix: Coated inserts keep vessels unclogged
Mesh cylinders called stents, which doctors use to prop open coronary arteries, work better when they are coated with sirolimus, a drug that inhibits the accumulation of cells along the device.
By Nathan Seppa -
Planetary ScienceNews Splash: Strong evidence of lakes on Titan
Using Earth-based radar to penetrate the thick atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan, planetary scientists have the best evidence yet that the smog-shrouded moon has lakes or oceans of hydrocarbons over large stretches of its surface.
By Ron Cowen -
EarthNorth vs. Northwest: Lewis and Clark diaries provide directional clue
Observations from the Lewis and Clark expedition may offer insight into Earth's magnetic field.
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Health & MedicineTiming That First Spoonful: Diabetes risk reflects when cereals enter infant diet
The timing of cereals' introduction into children's diets may affect their risk of developing type 1 diabetes, two studies suggest.
By Ben Harder -
AnthropologyY Trail of the First Americans: DNA data point to late New World entry
Scientists identified a gene variant on the Y chromosome that allowed them to estimate that people first reached the Americas no earlier than about 18,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower -
EarthVolcanic Legacy: Tortoises chronicle eruption in their genes
An ancient volcanic eruption in the Galápagos Islands left its legacy in the diminished genetic diversity of one subspecies of the archipelago's famed giant tortoises.
By Sid Perkins -
AnimalsCarnivores in Captivity: Size of range in wild may predict risk in zoo
A survey of zoo reports of troubled animals suggests that the minimum size of a species' range predicts how well it will adapt to captivity.
By Susan Milius -
Health & MedicineOne bug’s bane may be another’s break
People who carry pneumococcus bacteria in their nasal passages may be partially protected against having their noses colonized by Staphylococcus aureus.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineDrug combination unexpectedly flops
A combination of therapies that researchers anticipated would work well against HIV failed to stop the virus from replicating in more than half the volunteers who received it.
By Ben Harder -
Health & MedicineResistant staph spreads in communities
Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—once a problem limited mainly to health care settings—has become a menace in communities around the world.
By Ben Harder