Humans

  1. Health & Medicine

    Newfound flu protein may kill immune cells

    A dash of serendipity led to the discovery of a new protein, produced by most strains of the influenza A virus.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Boost in protein repair extends fly lives

    In warmer-than-normal conditions, fruit flies that overproduce a protein-repair enzyme live about one-third longer than typical flies.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Gene Therapy for Sickle-Cell Disease?

    By adding a useful gene to offset the effects of a faulty one, scientists have devised a gene therapy that prevents sickle-cell anemia in mice.

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  4. Anthropology

    Evolving in Their Graves

    Understanding what early, rudimentary burials meant to modern humans' antecedents—assuming early humans did, in fact, bury their dead—could help anthropologsts untangle a lasting mystery of human evolution.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Surprise! Fat proves a taste sensation

    The share of consumed fat that travels into a person's bloodstream depends on whether the person tasted fat to begin with.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Delayed surgery aids spinal cord repair

    Postponing surgery to repair a severed spinal cord in rats improves the likelihood that the operation will counteract the injury.

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  7. Anthropology

    Human evolution put brakes on tooth growth

    A new analysis of fossil teeth indicates that the slower pace of dental development observed in people today dates back only about 100,000 years.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Low Radiation Hurts Bystander Cells

    New research confirms that alpha particles from decaying radon atoms can damage neighboring cells they don't directly hit and suggests a mechanism for this so-called bystander effect.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Thinking the way to stronger muscles

    Thinking about exercising a muscle can make it stronger.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    New epilepsy drug is possible

    A drug mimicking a natural substance in the brain may offer a new therapy for epilepsy.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Antibiotic now tackles Parkinson’s

    A well-known antibiotic may slow the brain-cell death that causes Parkinson's disease.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    A spice takes on Alzheimer’s disease

    Curcumin, a spice used in yellow curry, may thwart Alzheimer's disease.

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