Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
Nerve Link: Alzheimer’s suspect shows up in glaucoma
Amyloid-beta, the protein fragment implicated in Alzheimer's disease, may also play a role in glaucoma.
- Health & Medicine
Skeletal Discovery: Bone cells affect metabolism
A protein made by bone cells has a surprising influence on energy metabolism, and could have a role in treating diabetes.
- Health & Medicine
Serotonin lower in shift workers
Workers who rotate between day and night shifts have less of the brain chemical serotonin than day shift workers do.
- Health & Medicine
CT heart scans: Risk climbs as age at screening falls
CT scans are increasingly used to investigate heart blockages, but their X rays can increase cancer risk.
- Health & Medicine
Taking a Jab at Cancer
Vaccines that train a person's immune system to kill cancerous cells, when combined with drugs that block tumor defense mechanisms, are starting to show promise.
