Humans

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Humans

    Letters from the May 20, 2006, issue of Science News

    Forget dessert In “Got Data? Consuming calcium, dairy doesn’t keep off weight” (SN: 3/11/06, p. 147), you report, “Every 4 years, each volunteer completed a questionnaire about his body weight and dietary habits.” Any dieter knows that it is next to impossible to remember what one has eaten 4 days ago. Any more details on […]

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  2. Humans

    Indy’s Best: Young scientists cross the finish line

    High school students from 47 countries gathered in Indianapolis last week to compete for scholarships and other prizes in the 2006 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

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  3. Anthropology

    Hybrid-Driven Evolution: Genomes show complexity of human-chimp split

    A controversial new genetic comparison suggests that human and chimpanzee ancestors interbred for several million years before evolving into reproductively separate species no more than 6.3 million years ago.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Bug Zapper: Novel drug kills resistant bacteria

    A newly recognized compound can wipe out some of the most troublesome antibiotic-resistant bacteria, lab tests show.

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  5. Humans

    Roads pose growing danger in poor countries

    Although roads are getting safer in many developed countries, traffic accidents are a rising and underestimated killer worldwide.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Nabbed: Culprit of grapefruit juice–drug interaction

    Researchers have pinned down the class of natural compounds in grapefruit juice that's responsible for its unwanted chemical interaction with many drugs.

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  7. Humans

    Report knocks NASA funding

    A new National Academy of Sciences study joins the chorus of critics that claim NASA is overextended, sacrificing basic- science research in order to finish building the International Space Station and fund President Bush's plan to return astronauts to the moon.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Now Hear This

    Genetics research, work with stem cells, and studies of the inner ear's delicate architecture suggest that it might be possible to restore cells pivotal to hearing.

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  9. Humans

    From the May 9, 1936, issue

    A fortress for studying atoms, a new weapon against cancer, and the future of communication.

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  10. Humans

    Letters from the May 13, 2006, issue of Science News

    Now hear this Unless the writer is deliberately implying an archaic theory of evolution in “Can you hear me now? Frogs in roaring streams use ultrasonic calls” (SN: 3/18/06 p. 165), the statement “Ultrasonic perception may have developed as the frogs (Amolops tormotus) struggled to hear each other . . .” cannot be true. That’s […]

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  11. Humans

    The Mind of Leonardo

    This stunning online exhibit from the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence, Italy, features the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci. Visitors can view some of Leonardo’s famous drawings, read lucid descriptions of his interests and achievements (particularly his studies of motion), learn about the science of painting, and get […]

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  12. Anthropology

    Cattle’s Call of the Wild: Domestication may hold complex genetic tale

    A new investigation of DNA that was obtained from modern cattle and from fossils of their ancient, wild ancestors challenges the idea that herding and farming groups in the Near East domesticated cattle about 11,000 years ago.

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