Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
The two faces of prion proteins
Scientists are learning more about the protein behind mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including how to interfere with the protein’s production in the brains of mice.
- Climate
Another climate ailment
Global warming may turn out to be more than just a pain in the neck: Rising average temperatures could trigger an increased prevalence of kidney stones.
- Chemistry
CO2: Only One Flavor
Federal climate policymakers should have a grounding in basic chemistry.
- Health & Medicine
One Downside to Sushi
Uncooked fish can host detectable concentrations of potentially toxic chemicals — pollutants that cooking can make disappear,
- Humans
Toxic yes: Toxins? No
Yet another news story baits us with the promise of reading about noxious toxins – and doesn't deliver.
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- Health & Medicine
Repairing muscle from the cell up
Skeletal muscle stem cells can fix weakling muscles in mice and could eventually lead to treatments for muscular dystrophy.
- Health & Medicine
Location matters
Scientists find the role of dopamine varies from one end of a brain region to another.
- Health & Medicine
Risk profile for diabetes
People who harbor excess amounts of the compound fetuin-A face a heightened risk of developing diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer and college
Highly educated people have reaped the benefits of cancer prevention and treatment. Death rates in this group have fallen, but people with less education have missed out on these gains.
- Health & Medicine
Animal rights and wrongs
Featured blog: Some animal-rights activists are taking a page out of the anti-abortionists' playbook and now bully animal researchers at home.
- Anthropology
Loud and clear
Skulls of Neandertal ancestors show the prehistoric humans had a hearing capacity similar to present-day people, suggesting human speech could have originated much earlier than previously thought.
