Humans

  1. Health & Medicine

    Protein Repair: New compounds may help cells fight off cancer

    Researchers have identified a compound that enables even defective p53 proteins to initiate anticancer chain reactions.

    By Nathan Seppa
  2. Health & Medicine

    Broken Weapon: Mutation disarms HIV-fighting gene

    A gene that once produced a small protein able to prevent HIV from infecting cells now lies unusable in the human genome.

    By John Travis
  3. Health & Medicine

    More good news about chocolate

    The Kuna people of Central America appear to keep their blood pressure down by drinking cocoa rich in chemicals called flavanols.

    By Jessica Gorman
  4. Health & Medicine

    Coffee beans, cavity-causing germs

    Compounds in coffee loosen the grip of bacteria that cause tooth decay.

    By Ben Harder
  5. Health & Medicine

    High homocysteine tied to Alzheimer’s

    Research has linked the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia to elevated blood concentrations of the amino acid homocysteine.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    Tracking Tumors

    Researchers are trying to visualize molecular and cellular changes as a cancer responds to therapy in order to predict whether treatments are effective sooner than it's currently possible to determine.

    By Damaris Christensen
  7. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine Power: Immune cells target cancerous tissue

    Researchers are enlisting a person's own immune system to attack prostate tissue, including cancerous cells.

    By John Pickrell
  8. Humans

    And Counting . . . : Latest census resets U.S. population clock

    The 2000 census missed a little more than 1 percent of the nation’s population, due in part to a surge of undocumented immigrants to the United States in the late 1990s.

    By Sid Perkins
  9. Archaeology

    Almond Joy, Stone Age Style: Our ancestors had a bash eating wild nuts

    New finds at a 780,000-year-old Israeli site indicate that its ancient residents used stone tools to crack open a variety of hard-shelled nuts that were gathered as a dietary staple.

    By Bruce Bower
  10. Health & Medicine

    Suspicious DNA: Chromosome study homes in on Alzheimer’s disease

    Several human chromosomes now face intensified scrutiny for possibly harboring genes involved in Alzheimer's disease.

    By Ben Harder
  11. Health & Medicine

    Chill Out: Mild hypothermia aids heart attack recovery

    Icing down patients who have just had a heart stoppage may boost their survival chances and prevent brain damage in those who pull through.

    By Nathan Seppa
  12. Health & Medicine

    Indoor tanning ups all skin cancer rates

    Artificial sunbathing using ultraviolet lights increases the risk of all types of skin cancer.

    By Ben Harder