News
- Animals
No-Dad Dragons: Komodos reproduce without males
Two female Komodo dragons in zoos have startled their keepers by laying viable eggs without males, possibly as a last resort at a time when mates are in increasingly short supply.
- Health & Medicine
Transplant reaction reversed in patients
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Patients with leukemia get a fighting chance when they receive a transplant of bone marrow cells from a healthy donor. Unfortunately, immune cells from these new arrivals can run amok in the recipient, creating a life-threatening complication called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Last year, […]
- Health & Medicine
Experimental clot inhibitors match conventional drugs
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Two new drugs—one in pill form and another requiring only a single weekly injection—prevent dangerous blood clots in leg veins just as well as do standard treatments that require daily shots, two European research teams report. In one study, scientists in Sweden focused […]
- Health & Medicine
Drug takes a shot at leukemia cells
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology A drug that targets solid tumors such as those of lung cancer might also fight blood cancers, a lab study shows. Erlotinib (Tarceva) attacks cells by blocking a receptor protein that’s abundant on the surface of some cancer cells (SN: 8/27/05, p. 139: […]
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Decoding a protein to fend off sepsis
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology Sepsis is a lethal blood disorder that typically arises from bacterial infections. It’s marked by organ damage caused by inflammation and blood vessel leakage. A synthetic version of activated protein C (ACP) is the sole drug approved to specifically attack sepsis, but it […]
- Humans
European chemical legislation adopted
A groundbreaking chemical law, passed by the European Parliament on Dec. 13, is set to fundamentally change the evaluation and production of chemicals used throughout the European Union. The Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) law, which will go into effect in June 2007, takes a different approach than current U.S. policy does. It […]
- Paleontology
Mammals started flying when birds did
The first gliding mammal winged through forests at least 70 million years earlier than scientists had previously presumed, a new fossil shows. The specimen dates from about 150 million years ago, during the time when birds were developing flight. ANCIENT GLIDER. Volaticotherium antiquus was gliding through ancient forests 150 million years ago. The creature weighed […]
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Restricting calories keeps immune system young
Drastic limits on calorie consumption starting early in a monkey’s life seemed to delay aging of the animal’s immune systems in new research. Numerous studies have found that calorie restriction can extend the life span of organisms such as yeast, worms, fruit flies, and mice. However, scientists don’t know how caloric restriction lengthens life. Janko […]
- Planetary Science
Signs of recent water on Mars
Pictures showing fresh deposits of bright material on two Martian gullies provide the most compelling evidence yet that water flowed on parts of the Red Planet during the last few years.
- Tech
Shape shifter shifts twice
Certain plastics known as shape-memory polymers switch to predetermined shapes when triggered by heat or light. Now, researchers have developed more-versatile versions of such polymers. When heated, each of the new triple-shape polymers switches to a second shape. Then, at a higher temperature, the plastic changes to a third form. “For some applications, [these] more-complex […]
- Math
A Fair Slice: New method makes for equitable eating
A new method for cutting cake yields slices that make everyone equally happy.
- Health & Medicine
Catching Flu’s Drift: Vaccines fight unexpected influenza
Vaccination can prevent three of every four flu infections, even when the vaccines are imperfectly tailored to block the common wintertime pathogens.
