Humans
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Health & Medicine
Weaker brain links found in psychopaths
Decreased communication between emotional and executive centers may contribute to the mental disorder.
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Humans
Germs’ persistence: Nothing to sneeze at
Years ago, I read (probably in Science News) that viruses can’t survive long outside their hosts. That implied any surface onto which a sneezed-out germ found itself — such as the arm of a chair, kitchen counter or car-door handle — would effectively decontaminate itself within hours to a day. A pair of new flu papers now indicates that although many germs will die within hours, none of us should count on it. Given the right environment, viruses can remain infectious — potentially for many weeks, one of the studies finds.
By Janet Raloff -
Humans
Cooking can be surprisingly forgiving
Network analysis confirms deviations from the recipe are quite feasible.
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Chemistry
Radiation sickness treatment shows promise
The regimen could be used to protect large numbers of people in the aftermath of major accidents such as Chernobyl or Fukushima.
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Health & Medicine
Getting the picture of how someone died
CT scans can often reveal a clear cause of death, possibly making some autopsies unnecessary, British researchers find.
By Nathan Seppa -
Life
Unraveling synesthesia
Tangled senses may have genetic or chemical roots, or both.
By Nick Bascom -
Humans
Matt Crenson, Reconstructions
Tools tell a more complicated tale of the origin of the human genus.
By Science News -
Health & Medicine
Coffee delivers jolt deep in the brain
Caffeine strengthens electrical signals in a portion of the hippocampus, a study in rats finds.
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Humans
Two feet or four, software is the same
All walking animals use the same basic nerve patterns to put one leg in front of the other(s).
By Nick Bascom -
Psychology
Babies may benefit from moms’ lasting melancholy
Fetuses pick up on maternal depression and thrive after birth if mothers don’t get better, a new study suggests.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Highlights from the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Stress and motherhood, tandem MRIs, the memory benefits of resveratrol and more from the organization's meeting November 12-16 in Washington, D.C.
By Science News -
Health & Medicine
Busting blood clots with a nanoparticle
An experimental technology that delivers medication directly to a dangerous blockage might augment heart attack treatment, a new study finds.
By Nathan Seppa