Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Finding the Golden Genes
Advances in gene therapy could tempt some athletes to enhance their genetic makeup, leading some researchers to work on detection methods just in case.
- Ecosystems
Tracing Tahitian vanilla
The discovery of Tahitian vanilla’s heritage could set off a custody battle between nations.
- Agriculture
Dirt Is Not Soil
Probing the distinction in what you call the stuff that mud is made of.
- Climate
Hydrogen economy sustainable in 15 years
Hydrogen fuel cells can eventually replace the combustion engine, but meanwhile a wider range of technologies will be needed to reduce carbon emissions.
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- Health & Medicine
X-ray vision
A new imaging technique could give scientists unprecedented views into cells and other objects at the nanoscale.
- Health & Medicine
Against the grains
People on either a low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean diet fared better over two years than those on a low-fat diet.
- Life
HIV after DARC
A gene variant prevalent in people of African descent increases the risk of HIV infection but also helps slow disease progression.
- Health & Medicine
Asthma oddity
Helicobacter pylori, a common microbe that colonizes the stomach, might protect against asthma.
- Chemistry
The Goop in Our Air
Emerging data indicate that tiny and toxic particles polluting urban air chemically morph from hour by hour, depending on what other pollutants these particles encounter during journeys that can run hundreds of miles.
- 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.
