Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Infectious Obesity: Adenovirus fattens stem cells
Some cases of obesity may result from infection by a virus that can transform adult stem cells into fat-storing cells.
- Health & Medicine
If You Can Stomach It: Obesity surgery extends life span
Drastic weight loss achieved through gastric bypass and other stomach surgeries improves long-term survival for very obese people.
- Health & Medicine
Vaccine targets ovarian-cancer cells
A vaccine for ovarian cancer enables some women who've undergone chemotherapy to stay in remission.
- Archaeology
Map yields new view of ancient city
A new map shows that Angkor, the world's largest preindustrial city, covered more than 1,000 square kilometers of what is now Cambodia and possessed an elaborate canal system.
- Humans
Letters from the August 25, 2007, issue of Science News
Where did the chicken cross? “Chicken of the Sea: Poultry may have reached Americas via Polynesia,” (SN: 6/9/07, p. 356) states, “The most likely sea route ran north of Hawaii and down America’s Pacific coast.” The Polynesians were master mariners, so anything is possible, but continuing east from Tonga to South America is an extension […]
- Health & Medicine
Lithium might help bone healing
In mice, treatment with lithium assists in the production of a bone-repair protein and improves the healing of fractures.
- Health & Medicine
Caffeine Aids Golden Girls’ Mental Health
Coffee and tea appear to keep aging women sharp. Men, not so much.
- Humans
From the August 14, 1937, issue
Trees inspire a new kind of architectural support, a university sophomore finds the first mosasaur fossil west of the Rockies, and an oilman scoffs at fears over increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide due to industrial activity.
- Health & Medicine
Calming Factor: DNA vaccine for MS passes initial test
A DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis passes a safety trial and shows signs of suppressing immune-directed nerve damage.
- Health & Medicine
Anti-inflammatory prevents pancreatic cancer in mice
An anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor family blocks precancerous lesions in mice prone to pancreatic cancer.
- Humans
Letters from the August 18, 2007, issue of Science News
Exhaustive analysis I would debate the “1,000 watts or more” value attributed to typical adults during strenuous exercise (“Powering the Revolution: Tiny gadgets pick up energy for free,” SN: 6/2/07, p. 344). Hiking up steep slopes, I rarely exceed 250 W myself, and typical hikers are going much slower. The 1,000-watt figure can only apply […]
- Humans
From the August 7, 1937, issue
Ancient gold and ivory treasures from Palestine arrive in Chicago, searching for Ice Age Americans in New Jersey, and a sampling of airborne microorganisms lost with the disappearance of Amelia Earhart's plane.
