Humans
- Archaeology
Horse domestication traced to ancient central Asian culture
New lines of evidence indicate that horses were domesticated for riding and milking more than 5,000 years ago by members of a hunter-gatherer culture in northern Kazakhstan.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Chemotherapy drug may in fact strengthen some cancer cells
Research shows a standard drug for treating brain cancer can actually make some cells more aggressive.
- Health & Medicine
New drug shows benefits against nasty asthma
An experimental drug called mepolizumab prevents some emergency asthma attacks in people who no longer benefit from normal doses of steroids.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Popular acid blockers, anticlotting drug don’t mix
Acid-blocking drugs commonly prescribed to cardiac patients upon hospital discharge seem to interfere with an anticlotting drug.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
One protein mediates damage from high-fructose diet
A study in mice suggests that a liver protein mediates the harmful effects of consuming too much fructose, an increasingly common aspect of Western diets.
- Health & Medicine
Out-of-sync days throw heart and metabolism out of whack
When people sleep may be just as important as how much they sleep. Altered sleep patterns can lead to heart disease and diabetes, a new study suggests.
- Life
Gene links autism, bellyaches
Researchers have uncovered a genetic link between autism and gastrointestinal disorders in some families.
- Health & Medicine
Where choices happen
Different types of decisions are made in different areas of the brain’s frontal lobes, scientists say.
- Humans
Playing for real in a virtual world
Preteen boys and girls interacting in a virtual world display the same contrasting play styles that have been observed in real-world settings.
By Bruce Bower - Humans
U.S. science remains far from ‘its rightful place’
Rush Holt, a plasma physicist by training, represents New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. From 1989 to 1998, Holt was assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a research institute focused on fusion as an alternate energy source. Holt was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. Recently, staff writer […]
By Rush Holt - Physics
Science Stimulus
Researchers look to the new administration to bring fresh perspectives to health, energy, climate policy and science funding.
By Janet Raloff - Anthropology
Modern feet step back 1.5 million years
Researchers say that 1.5-million-year-old footprints discovered in eastern Africa show that a human ancestor had modern-looking feet and walked much like people do today.
By Bruce Bower