Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Drug takes a shot at leukemia cells
From Orlando, Fla., at a meeting of the American Society of Hematology A drug that targets solid tumors such as those of lung cancer might also fight blood cancers, a lab study shows. Erlotinib (Tarceva) attacks cells by blocking a receptor protein that’s abundant on the surface of some cancer cells (SN: 8/27/05, p. 139: […]
- Humans
European chemical legislation adopted
A groundbreaking chemical law, passed by the European Parliament on Dec. 13, is set to fundamentally change the evaluation and production of chemicals used throughout the European Union. The Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) law, which will go into effect in June 2007, takes a different approach than current U.S. policy does. It […]
- Humans
Letters from the December 23 & 30, 2006, issue of Science News
Playing dead is a lively topic I am amazed that “Why Play Dead?” (SN: 10/28/06, p. 280) concluded that “Scientists have a long way to go to explain why” prey animals play dead. As a veterinarian, I have learned that there are separate centers in the brain dealing with predatory behavior and with hunger. The […]
- Health & Medicine
Trans Fats Are Bad, Aren’t They?
As New York moves to ban trans fats from fried and baked restaurant fare, little attention has been given to the potentially beneficial trans fats in dairy products and meats.
- Health & Medicine
Catching Flu’s Drift: Vaccines fight unexpected influenza
Vaccination can prevent three of every four flu infections, even when the vaccines are imperfectly tailored to block the common wintertime pathogens.
- Health & Medicine
Express delivery for cancer drugs
A new drug-delivery method has dramatically reduced tumors in experiments conducted with mice.
- Anthropology
Neandertals’ tough Stone Age lives
Neandertals that 43,000 years ago inhabited what's now northern Spain faced periodic food shortages and possibly resorted to cannibalism to survive.
- Anthropology
South African find gets younger
The partial skeleton of a human ancestor previously found in South Africa dates to about 2.2 million years ago, roughly 1 million years younger than the original estimates.
- Health & Medicine
Salad Doubts
Researchers are looking into new ways to sanitize harvested produce and prevent foodborne pathogens from infecting people.
- Humans
Peer Review under the Microscope
The traditional method for communicating results of scientific research could get its biggest facelift in hundreds of years.
- Humans
Letters from the December 16, 2006, issue of Science News
Familiar pattern I am a retired high school mathematics teacher who has quilted mathematical ideas for over 20 years. Currently, I am working on a quilt called Pascal’s Pumpkin. I was totally excited by “Swirling Seas, Crystal Balls: Spirals of triangles crinkle into intricate structures” (SN: 10/21/06, p. 266) and began to think about quilting […]
- Humans
From the December 5, 1936, issue
New forms of glass, a new element in space, and Einstein's automatic camera.
