Humans
- Life
Anxiety switch makes mice shy no more
Brain-control experiments could help shed light on psychiatric disorders
- Health & Medicine
‘Diabetes Belt’ outlined
The Deep South and Appalachia show a high prevalence linked to obesity, poor educational achievement and a sedentary lifestyle, a study shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Stretchy electronics aid heart surgery
New balloon catheters may help cardiologists treat common cardiac problems.
- Health & Medicine
Alpha wave may affect sleep quality
A type of brain activity once considered diagnostic of wakefulness persists during slumber, and the more intense it is the more easily a person can be jolted awake.
- Psychology
A man lost in musical time
A man who can’t feel music’s pulse or move in time to it provides initial clues to ‘beat deafness.’
By Bruce Bower - Earth
Low sperm counts linked to fetal effects
Low male fertility may partly stem from chemical exposures in utero, an anatomical study suggests.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Body & Brain
Ibuprofen may help fend off Parkinson’s, plus bone boosters and smokers’ brains in this week’s news.
By Science News - Life
Good gene type for cancer bad for stroke
A DNA variant that helps prevent tumors may diminish the brain’s recovery after an interruption in blood supply.
- Humans
Smelling a rat in a bag of chips
A forensic scientist shares tales from a very special victims unit.
- Health & Medicine
Half of adult males carry HPV
Human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted pathogen that can cause cancer, shows up often in men and lingers for months, a study shows.
By Nathan Seppa - Earth
PCBs may impair fertility
A study of women undergoing in vitro fertilization finds reduced embryo implantation among women with higher levels of one type of the banned chemicals.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
How brains guesstimate
Experiments show how the human mind lowballs moving objects’ speed when information is lacking.