Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Health & Medicine

    Searing the heart for the better

    Electrode-tipped catheter destroys heart tissue to stifle atrial fibrillation, sometimes performing better than meds, study shows.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Millions of women at risk of malaria during pregnancy

    Potential problems include undetected illness and anemia in mothers, stillbirth and low birth weight in newborns,

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  3. Humans

    Teacher anxieties may subtract from girls’ math scores

    In first and second grade, female teachers’ insecurity with numbers may correlate to some girls’ doing poorly in math.

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  4. Climate

    IPCC’s Himalayan glacier ‘mistake’ not an accident

    A London newspaper reports today that the unsubstantiated Himalayan-glacier melt figures contained in a supposedly authoritative 2007 report on climate warming were used intentionally, despite the report’s lead author knowing there were no data to back them up.

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  5. Humans

    Common stain repellent linked to thyroid disease

    Long-term health study shows connection with blood levels of perfluorooctanoic acid.

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  6. Earth

    Tsunamis could telegraph their imminent arrival

    Telecommunication cables could give early warnings of giant waves.

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  7. Math

    Slime mold is master network engineer

    Single-cell organism develops food distribution system that is as efficient as the Tokyo rail system; inspires new math model for designing dynamic systems.

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  8. Life

    MRSA bacterial strain mutates quickly as it spreads

    Antibiotic-resistant microbe's detailed family tree reveals roots of the global infection.

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  9. Life

    Protein may be new target for obesity, diabetes therapies

    Molecule regulates flip of a metabolic switch, helps determine how the body uses glucose.

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  10. Earth

    Feds propose banning giant snakes

    Today, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced plans to ban the importation and interstate transport of nine species of giant snakes. It’s a good idea, but a little like closing the barn door after the horse — or in this case, the pythons and anacondas — got loose.

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  11. Humans

    Minor air traffic delays add up to big costs

    On average, the economic impact of late flights exceeds that of hurricanes

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  12. Climate

    IPCC admits Himalayan glacier error

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change acknowledged today that it had erred in projecting the rate and impacts of retreating Himalayan glaciers in a 2007 report.

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