Humans
- Life
Why light makes migraines worse
A new study traces brain wiring to discover why light increases migraine pain.
- Health & Medicine
Skip spine stabilization and get to the hospital
Gunshot victims may be more likely to survive if they get to the hospital quickly instead of getting spine stabilization first.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Vast majority of teens are sleep-deprived
Most adolescents need at least eight hours of zzzzz’s a night, studies show, and ideally should garner at least nine. A new study tells us just how many kids meet their slumber quota: a whopping 7.6 percent.
By Janet Raloff - Archaeology
Ancient hominids may have been seafarers
Researchers have discovered hundreds of African-style stone hand axes on Crete, suggesting that sea-going hominids reached the island hundreds of thousands of years ago en route to Europe.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
New test could discern serious condition early after bone marrow transplant
Protein level in blood reveals graft-versus-host disease, may indicate severity of this complication
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Celebrex combats skin cancer in vulnerable group
Anti-inflammatory drug limits number of tumors in patients with hereditary condition
By Nathan Seppa - Humans
Pet tarantulas can pose a hairy threat
A new medical case report reaffirms why even largely non-venomous tarantulas can make questionable pets. Some respond to stress by expelling a cloud of barbed hairs that can lodge in especially vulnerable tissues. Like your eyeball.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Danish sustainability: From coats to undies
The United Nations climate change conference may be over, but Denmark’s interest in climate-protection issues isn’t. Case in point: an exhibit at the Danish Design Center. Across the street from Copenhagen’s famed Tivoli Gardens, local fashion-design students are showcasing their idea of another type of greens – fashion-forward clothes that are kind to Mother Nature.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Texting and driving don’t mix, just as suspected
Sending or receiving messages proves even worse than cell phone calls for young adults on simulators.
By Nathan Seppa - Life
Lupus not identical in twins
Differences in DNA methylation may account for why one sibling gets the autoimmune disease while the other stays healthy.
- Chemistry
Climate deal reached, importance debated
“Finally, we sealed the deal. And it is a real deal,” said United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon this morning at an 11:15 press briefing. He was referring to a new climate accord – one aimed at reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions and setting up a green trust fund for mitigation and adaptation programs in the world’s poorest countries, ones that are already being hammered by a changing climate.
By Janet Raloff - Climate
Climate: Deal or no deal?
We’ve got a climate accord, President Barack Obama said at a parting press conference tonight (at about 11 to 11:30 p.m. local time, before leaving Denmark). Not so fast, argue a number of other negotiating blocs...like the G77.
By Janet Raloff