Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Reviving A Tired Heart

    With a bit of encouragement, the life-giving muscle may renew itself.

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  2. 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.

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  3. Humans

    Inca takeovers not usually hostile

    Skeletal evidence suggests that war was not the answer for Inca imperialists.

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  4. 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.

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  5. 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.

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  6. 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.

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  7. 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.

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  8. 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.

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  9. Psychology

    Teen daters pal up to the bottle

    Buddies of boyfriends and girlfriends push teens toward or away from booze.

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  10. Physics

    Sweet beams: Lasers to measure blood sugar

    Cutting-edge use of light might someday prove useful in gauging diabetics’ glucose levels.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    The mind’s eye revealed

    A new technology uses brain scans to see what a person is watching.

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  12. Humans

    Humans

    Love songs top charts, wandering minds prepare for the future and more in this week’s news.

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