Health & Medicine

  1. Humans

    Bush meat can be a viral feast

    Monkeys and apes are considered edible game in many parts of Africa. As Africans have emigrated to other parts of the world, some have retained their love of this so-called bushmeat. A new study now finds that even when smoked, meat from nonhuman primates — from chimps to monkeys — can host potentially dangerous viruses. Smuggled imports confiscated at U.S. airports provided the samples tested in this investigation.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Study tracks booze’s buzz in the brain

    In both heavy and light drinkers, alcohol causes the release of morphinelike chemicals.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Light pot smoking easy on lungs

    Infrequent marijuana users show a slight improvement in breathing capacity and middling smokers had no change, a 20-year study shows.

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  4. Psychology

    Europeans’ heartfelt ignorance

    Many people in nine countries don't know how to recognize or react to heart attacks and strokes.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Drug gives rats booze-guzzling superpowers

    Rodents that consume alcohol along with a compound derived from an ancient herbal remedy get less drunk, recover faster and appear less prone to addiction.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Brainy Ballplayers

    Elite athletes get their heads in the game.

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  7. Life

    Staggered lessons may work better

    Training at irregular intervals improves learning in sea snails.

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  8. Humans

    Network analysis predicts drug side effects

    A computer technique can foresee adverse events before medications are widely prescribed.

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  9. Humans

    Researchers, journals asked to censor data

    Scientists undertake research to advance knowledge. Normally, one aspect of that advancement is to find as broad an audience for the newly acquired data as possible. But what happens if medically important data could be put to ruthless purposes? That question underlies the ruckus developing over two new bird flu papers.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Gene therapy helps counter hemophilia B

    Treatment enables cells to produce a key blood-clotting compound, allowing some patients to quit medication.

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  11. Life

    He’s no rat, he’s my brother

    Rodents exhibit empathy by setting trapped friends free.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Bedbugs not averse to inbreeding

    The pests have also developed ways to resist common insecticides, research shows.

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