Uncategorized
- Health & Medicine
TB vaccine gets a needed boost
An experimental vaccine against tuberculosis imparts significant immunity, but only in people who have previously received the existing bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine for TB.
By Nathan Seppa - Astronomy
Gamma view of a big blast
Astronomers have for the first time used extremely high-energy gamma rays to image a celestial body.
By Ron Cowen - Health & Medicine
Sleeve worn on heart fights failure
A new mesh wrap can be placed around an expanded and weakened heart to restore the organ to an efficient, elliptical form.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
Up and down make different workouts
An unusual study conducted on an Alpine mountainside suggests that climbing a steep slope improves the body's ability to process certain fats, while descending such a slope enhances metabolism of a key sugar.
By Ben Harder - Astronomy
Explosive Tales
Four hundred years after the explosion of the Kepler supernova, the last such stellar eruption in our galaxy, astronomers have examined the supernova's remnant with state-of-the-art telescopes that view it in infrared, optical, and X-ray light.
By Ron Cowen - Anthropology
Remnants of the Past
Sophisticated analyses suggest that some prehistoric peoples were highly skilled weavers.
- Humans
From the December 1, 1934, issue
Large propellers for an ocean liner, a new kind of nitrogen, and high blood pressure and thickening of arteries.
By Science News - Humans
Museum of Science
Interested in ancient Egypt, how your body ages, electron microscope images, or fractal patterns in nature? The Museum of Science in Boston offers a wide variety of online exhibits. You can learn the basics of robotics, explore Mt. Everest, venture to Antarctica, meet Leonardo da Vinci, dip into Earth’s oceans, and much more. Go to: […]
By Science News - Humans
Letters from the December 4, 2004, issue of Science News
Shouting about decaf? As a decaf drinker, I found myself shouting, “What about caffeine”?” as I read “Coffee’s curious heart effects” (SN: 10/2/04, p. 222: Coffee’s curious heart effects). How can any report not, at least, mention its involvement or lack thereof? Greg TulloRaleigh, N.C. Researcher Pertti Happonen suspects that caffeine was responsible for the […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Antioxidant Booster: Protein curbs lung damage caused by smoke
A protein called Nrf2 defends against emphysema by activating dozens of genes that combat free radicals and toxic pollutants, a study in mice suggests.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Stones-Be-Gone: Gene-targeting drug restores chemical balance protecting the gallbladder
A drug tested in mice prevents gallstones by stimulating a gene that controls levels of different chemicals in the gallbladder.
By David Shiga - Anthropology
South American Surprise: Ancient farmers settled in Uruguay’s wetlands
The discovery of a 4,200-year-old farming settlement in Uruguay challenges traditional notions of where early South American societies took root.
By Bruce Bower