Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Autism may include aptitude for analogy
Contrary to what had been thought, some kids with this disorder recognize and compare relationships among objects in visual scenes
By Bruce Bower - Humans
Schools need to test water, report results
Survey of EPA database turn up widespread problems, which may be only the tip of the iceberg.
By Janet Raloff - Earth
Protected whales found in Japan’s supermarkets
Toothless Asian whales find themselves being protected by fairly toothless regulations.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Alzheimer’s linked to lack of Zzzzs
Sleep deprivation leads to more Alzheimer’s disease plaques in the brains of genetically susceptible mice.
- Humans
A head for numbers
The brain shows slightly different, but overlapping patterns when processing digits and dots of the same value.
- Animals
Spider men weave silken tapestry
It took herculean effort, but Madagascar crafters created an extraordinary piece of woven art from spider silk.
By Janet Raloff - Anthropology
DNA points to India’s two-pronged ancestry
Two ancient populations laid the genetic foundation for most people now living in India, a new DNA study suggests.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Trimming rabies shots
A new rabies vaccine might be enough to stave off the virus with fewer injections, a study in monkeys suggests.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Linking obesity with leukemia relapses
Fatty tissue may provide a safe haven for cancerous cells to linger, according to a study of mice with leukemia.
By Nathan Seppa - Physics
Neutrons for military and medical imaging
An accelerator-based neutron-production system is being designed to cull bombs at risk of exploding prematurely — and make the feedstock for a major isotope used in nuclear medicine.
By Janet Raloff - Math
Math mimics hard-to-heal wounds
New model may lead to better treatments for chronic, blood-deprived sores
- Health & Medicine
Peer review: No improvement with practice
To keep the quality of what they publish high, journals may have to frequently recycle the experts asked to evaluate incoming manuscripts.
By Janet Raloff