Humans

  1. Health & Medicine

    Survivors’ Benefit?

    Smallpox outbreaks throughout history may have endowed some people with genetic mutations that make them resistant to the AIDS virus.

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  2. Anthropology

    Cultures of Reason

    East Asian and Western cultures may encourage fundamentally different reasoning styles, rather than build on universal processes often deemed necessary for thinking.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Oxygen limits infections from surgery

    Giving patients extra oxygen during and shortly after colorectal surgery halves the incidence of infection.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Stem Cell Gain: Bone marrow cells seem to have what it takes

    Tests show that a rodent bone marrow cell similar to one found in people acts as a multipurpose stem cell, much as embryonic stem cells do.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Enough Isn’t Enough: An epidemic of vitamin D deficiency

    Many U.S. women of childbearing age, particularly those of African descent, lack sufficient vitamin D even though they consume the recommended amount.

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  6. Humans

    Dangerous Wake: Wing vortices yield a deadly secret

    A new mathematical analysis of an aeronautical hazard known as wake turbulence could someday lead to improved air safety and increase the number of flights at major airports.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Let Them Eat Cake: Altered mice stay svelte on a high-fat diet

    A protein that links gluttony and weight gain may be a novel target for antiobesity drugs.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Chinese chimneys slash lung cancer risk

    People in rural China who replace rudimentary domestic hearths with well-ventilated stoves enjoy both less-smoky homes and a dramatic reduction in their risk of developing lung cancer.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    New clue stirs up lithium mystery

    Lithium and two other mood-stabilizing drugs may all work by depleting nerve cells of a chemical that the cells use to signal each other.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Drug cuts risk of seizures in pregnancy

    An inexpensive drug treatment lessens the risk of seizures that sometimes strike and even kill women during pregnancy or immediately after delivery.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    USDA gives nod to irradiating meats

    The federal government approved food irradiation, the only technology known to kill an especially lethal strain of bacteria, for use on raw meats.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    This roe’s got a fish-E surprise

    Scientists discovered a potent, new form of vitamin E, an antioxidant, in fish adapted for life in cold water.

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