Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Humans
Children grasp time with distance in mind
A study of Greek school children indicates that spatial knowledge lies at the root of how youngsters conceptualize time.
- Earth
BPA is regulated . . . sort of
Food and Drug Administration officials “say they are powerless to regulate BPA” because of a quirk in their rules, according to a story that ran Sunday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It comes from a reporter who has made an award-winning habit of documenting the politics that have helped make the hormone-mimicking bisphenol-A a chemical of choice for many manufacturers.
- Health & Medicine
Benefits of omega-3 fatty acids tally up
A study of patients with sepsis and a second in people with heart disease suggest the fish oil compound may aid health.
- Climate
IPCC relied on unvetted Himalaya melt figure
British newspapers have uncovered what appears to be an embarrassing fact-checking omission by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. It regards the degree of glacial melting in the Himalayas — information that said parts of the area could be icefree a quarter century from now.
- Anthropology
‘Modern’ humans get an ancient, nonhuman twist
Two new reports suggest that hominids other than Homo sapiens made complex stone tools and fancy necklaces.
- Earth
Scientists scramble to analyze Haiti quake
Teams work to understand and model what could happen next.
- Health & Medicine
BPA and babies: Feds acknowledge concerns
Federal health and research officials outlined new guidance today for parents on the use of plastics made from bisphenol-A, a hard, clear plastic. Their bottom line: Minimize BPA-based products that could make contact with foods or drinks that infants or toddlers might consume — especially hot foods and drinks. But the Food and Drug Administration stopped short of recommending that parents pitch baby bottles and sippy cups made from BPA. Nor did it call for parents to avoid processed infant formulas and baby foods — some of which it acknowledges are contaminated with traces of BPA.
- Earth
Copenhagen Meeting Highlights
Find all the Science News coverage of the 2009 United Nation's climate summit in one place.
- Humans
Zeus’ altar of ashes
News from the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
- Humans
Graffiti on the walls in Pompeii
News from the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
- Humans
Copenhagen climate summit yields ‘real deal’ to limit greenhouse gases
Nonbinding accord still needs beefing up, negotiators agree.
