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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Reviving A Tired Heart
With a bit of encouragement, the life-giving muscle may renew itself.
By Laura Beil - Humans
Really bad year for Arctic sea ice
On October 4, the National Snow and Ice Data Center posted information on its website indicating that the summer melt of sea ice in the Arctic, this year, approached — but did not quite match — the record set four years ago. A team of European scientists now concludes NSIDC underestimated those Arctic losses.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Inca takeovers not usually hostile
Skeletal evidence suggests that war was not the answer for Inca imperialists.
By Bruce Bower - Humans
Study recalibrates trees’ carbon uptake
Photosynthesis appears to be somewhat speedier than conventional wisdom had suggested, a new study finds. If true, this suggests computer projections are at risk of overestimating the potential for trees to sop up carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Surf zone study earns young scientist first place
Top winners selected from 30 finalists who traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete in the inaugural Broadcom MASTERS program for middle school students.
By Devin Powell - Humans
Arctic ozone: ‘Hole’ or just not whole?
This past spring, the Arctic stratosphere’s ozone layer suffered unprecedented depletion. But whether the record loss constituted a “hole” depends on which experts you consult.
By Janet Raloff - Life
Biomarker for Huntington’s disease identified
A gene called H2AFY may provide scientists with a way to measure the condition’s progression and whether a treatment is having a biological effect.
By Nick Bascom - Life
2011 medicine Nobel goes to immunology researchers
The prize in physiology or medicine recognizes scientists for their work on the body's innate and adaptive defenses against invading pathogens.
By Nathan Seppa - Psychology
Teen daters pal up to the bottle
Buddies of boyfriends and girlfriends push teens toward or away from booze.
By Bruce Bower - Physics
Sweet beams: Lasers to measure blood sugar
Cutting-edge use of light might someday prove useful in gauging diabetics’ glucose levels.
By Devin Powell - Health & Medicine
The mind’s eye revealed
A new technology uses brain scans to see what a person is watching.
- Humans
Humans
Love songs top charts, wandering minds prepare for the future and more in this week’s news.
By Science News