Humans
- Health & Medicine
Carotid surgery stands test of time
Surgery to remove blockages from the carotid artery in the neck has lasting effects against stroke over several years and even provides some benefit when it's delayed.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Domestic Disease: Exotic pets bring pathogens home
The potentially deadly monkeypox virus has spread from Africa to people in several states via infected pet prairie dogs.
By Ben Harder - Health & Medicine
Full-Length Pregnancy: Progesterone product may reduce premature births
A drug related to the female hormone progesterone helps some pregnant women who are prone to premature birth extend their pregnancies.
By Nathan Seppa - Anthropology
African Legacy: Fossils plug gap in human origins
Scientists who discovered three partial Homo sapiens skulls in Ethiopia that date to nearly 160,000 years ago say that the finds document humanity's evolution in Africa, independently of European Neandertals.
By Bruce Bower - Health & Medicine
Oh Boy—Is Mom Hungry!
At birth, boys tend to weigh about 100 grams (3.5 ounces) more than girls. An international research team wondered whether that meant that boys’ moms ate more during pregnancy. In data published this week, the scientists now confirm that’s exactly what happens. Though women eat more when carrying a boy, they don’t gain more weight […]
By Janet Raloff - Humans
From the June 10, 1933, issue
BRAINLIKE STALAGMITES FOUND IN MARYLAND CAVE Stalagmite deposits shaped like human brains have been found on the floor of a newly discovered cave in Mount Etna, near Beaver Creek, Md., about 60 miles from Washington. James H. Benn of the Smithsonian Institution staff, who was detailed to make a geological investigation, brought one of them […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Cancer Advance: Treatment combinations stall colorectal cancer
Two experimental drugs can induce remission in colorectal cancer patients and extend their survival.
By Nathan Seppa - Health & Medicine
Skipping Meals Might Offer Health Gains
People assume that the ideal meal schedule spreads calorie intake over the course of the day: Never skip breakfast, keep your blood sugar on an even keel, and all that. But Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, suspects that conventional wisdom may be due for an overhaul. Skipping breakfast? […]
By Ben Harder - Humans
From the June 3, 1933, issue
TWO MECHANICAL MEN EXPLAIN BODY’S MECHANISM Mechanical men reveal to the visitors of the Century of Progress exhibition the physiology and chemistry of the human body. The famous transparent man, manufactured in Germany, as a life-sized display of the vital organs of human anatomy is a central exhibit in the medical section of the Hall […]
By Science News - Health & Medicine
Heart drug derails algal toxin
A drug for treating high cholesterol might someday find use relieving the debilitating symptoms of poisoning from some algal toxins.
By Janet Raloff - Health & Medicine
Herbal Lottery
Many herbal-product makers aren't maintaining adequate quality control, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to propose rules that mandate good manufacturing practices.
By Janet Raloff - Humans
Fellowships awarded to Science News writers
Two Science News writers recently received prestigious fellowships.