Uncategorized
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18967
Regarding “Neandertals show ancient signs of caring,” it seems to me that rather than “pounding, chopping, or cooking tougher food” for a friend or relative, these kindly Neandertals probably just masticated a mouthful before passing it on. This is something people do all over the world. Sharon Rudahl Los Angeles, Calif.
- Anthropology
Neandertals show ancient signs of caring
A partial jaw unearthed in France indicates that Neandertals extensively cared for sick and infirm comrades beginning nearly 200,000 years ago.
- Earth
Scientists spy sixth undersea-vent ecology
A new group of hydrothermal vents found in the Indian Ocean are populated by communities of organisms that differ significantly from other such groups of vent systems.
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Brief diet alters gene activity
Even a short-term diet may activate anti-aging genes.
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Homing in on a longevity gene
A gene on chromosome 4 may help people live to an old age.
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Embryo stem cells turned to blood
Human embryonic stem cells may provide a new source of blood and bone marrow.
- Health & Medicine
Painkillers may damage hearts
A retrospective study suggests that commonly used painkillers called COX-2 inhibitors may slightly increase a person's risk of having a heart attack.
- Health & Medicine
Placebos are dead, long live placebos
A study provides new evidence for the placebo effect and suggests a mechanism through which placebos might benefit patients with Parkinson's disease.
- Planetary Science
Galileo finds spires on Callisto
The sharpest images ever taken of Jupiter's icy moon Callisto show a group of features never seen before on the remote body—icy, knoblike spires that show signs of slow but steady erosion.
- Astronomy
X rays trace fierce stellar winds
A high-resolution X-ray view of the Rosette nebula, a nearby star-forming region, has revealed for the first time that the stellar winds from massive stars heat surrounding gas to a scorching 6 million kelvins.
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18972
Several key ideas seem missing from “Life on the edge”: 1) the fundamental nature of overpopulation and how it combines with technology to drive mass extinction; 2) the concept of functional extinction, an example being the decimated numbers and diminished range of elephants; and 3) a reasonable extrapolation of human technology. The statement that our […]
