Uncategorized
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Humans
Primates get a neural facial
New brain-imaging studies indicate that similar brain areas coordinate face recognition in people, chimpanzees and macaque monkeys, suggesting that a face-sensitive brain system evolved early in primate evolution.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Bacteria help themselves in damaged lungs
An antibiotic produced by a bacterium acts as a molecular snorkel to help with breathing. The bacterium infects and kills many people with cystic fibrosis, and plugging the snorkel could lead to treatments.
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Health & Medicine
Enzyme inventory affects ovarian cancer outlook
Levels of two enzymes crucial for shutting down genes might clarify the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients, a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
Tech
Hot new memory
A study of the physics of phonons, quantum packets of heat, suggests that controlling the flow of heat could be another way to store digital information.
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Earth
Surprise find taps into magma
In a scientific first, engineers drill into a subterranean pocket of molten rock.
By Sid Perkins -
Life
Aging gets with the program
A study on yeast organisms reveals checkpoints in the aging process: the buildup of certain lipids and fatty acids, and the health of the cell's powerhouses. Drugs could target these checkpoints.
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Life
Extreme preservation gives fly’s eye view
The cell-by-cell detail of a 45 million-year–old retina is preserved in amber
By Susan Milius -
Earth
Severe heat and cold top list of deadly natural hazards
Data compilation by region, type of hazards shows deaths from more frequent events accumulate into significant numbers. Lightning strikes also high on the list.
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Earth
Solar wind pushes atmospheric breathing
New analyses of satellite data show that cycles of expansion and contraction are tied to changes in the solar wind.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & Medicine
Dual therapy best for nasty prostate cancer
Dual therapy that adds radiation to medication for aggressive prostate cancer yields better survival and fewer signs of relapse than drugs alone, a large Scandinavian clinical trial finds.
By Nathan Seppa -
Space
Dark energy constantly with us
New X-ray and visible-light observations of the growth of galaxy groups and clusters are offering confirming evidence for the existence of dark energy and suggest that it may resemble the cosmological constant.
By Ron Cowen -
Health & Medicine
Potentially potent chemo target in sight
A fruit fly protein that helps control cell differentiation may be a powerful target for stopping human cancers.