Humans
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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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LifeStone Age gal gets hip
Researchers have found an approximately 1-million-year-old fossil pelvis that, in their view, indicates that Homo erectus females gave birth to surprisingly big-brained babies.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineTelomere enzyme a likely key to longevity
Study with the telomerase enzyme gives mice a longevity boost without high cancer risk.
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HumansWomen’s chromosome division different from men’s
Using fluorescent markers, scientists are discovering that men and women divide chromosomes differently. The research may help explain Down syndrome and other chromosomal disorders.
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AgricultureA Mushrooming Advance
Human skin isn't the only thing that makes vitamin D upon exposure to the ultraviolet radiation.
By Janet Raloff -
Health & MedicineGender matters in heart transplants
Heart transplant recipients who get a gender-matched organ fare better than those receiving mismatched organs.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineTreating viral heart infections
Viral heart infections respond to interferon treatment, easing cardiomyopathy in some patients.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineMini heart attack best treated like the big one
Patients admitted to hospitals with mild symptoms of a heart attack may benefit from getting a heart catheterization performed promptly.
By Nathan Seppa -
Health & MedicineItch
When it comes to sensory information detected by the body, pain is king, and itch is the court jester. But that insistent, tingly feeling—satisfied only by a scratch—is anything but funny to the millions of people who suffer from it chronically.
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HumansFood allergy advice may be peanuts
Early exposure to peanuts in a baby’s diet seems to lessen the risk of developing a peanut allergy later.
By Nathan Seppa -
PsychologyA genetic pathway to language disorders
Researchers suspect a newly uncovered regulatory link between two genes contributes to language impairments in a range of developmental disorders.
By Bruce Bower -
ChemistryFirst complete cancer genome sequenced
With the entire genome sequence of a tumor now in hand, scientists may be able to start answering basic questions about cancer.
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Health & MedicineVitamins don’t alter cancer risk
Taking supplemental folate and other B vitamins doesn’t raise or lower the risk of cancer in women.
By Nathan Seppa