Humans

Health & Medicine

Germ-killing plastic wrap

Biodegradable plastic that releases germ killers provides an example of what’s known as active packaging, and scientists report progress toward taking this concept to market. Paul Dawson and his colleagues at Clemson (S.C.) University are fashioning plastics from proteins found in corn, soy, and wheat. While these biodegradable polymers are being heated or compressed to […]

Health & Medicine

Vitaminlike compound eases rare disorder

A vitaminlike substance called coenzyme Q10 helps people with familial cerebellar ataxia, a hereditary disorder that damages the spine and the part of the brain responsible for coordination.

Anthropology

Human ancestors made ancient entry to Java

Layers of hardened volcanic ash on the Indonesian island of Java have yielded evidence that Homo erectus reached eastern Asia by 1.5 million years ago and remained there until about 1 million years ago.

Health & Medicine

Blood markers of clogging arteries emerge

The concentration in blood of one chemically transformed cholesterol-carrying molecule may signal to doctors when a patient's heart disease has dangerously worsened.

Health & Medicine

Natural antidepressant has its limits

St. John's wort, a popular ingredient in herbal remedies, may not help people with moderate or severe forms of depression.

Anthropology

. . . and then takes some lumps

The skeletal diversity that many scientists use to divide up fossil species in our evolutionary past masks a genetic unity that actually encompassed relatively few species, contend researchers in an opposing camp.

Anthropology

Our family tree does the splits…

Large-scale changes in climate and habitats may have sparked the evolution of many new animal species in Africa beginning 7 million to 5 million years ago, including a string of new species in the human evolutionary family.

Humans

Biomedicine, defense to sidestep budget ax

President Bush's first budget request would boost funding for biomedical and military research but trim federal outlays for other areas of science and technology.

Health & Medicine

Infections tied to head and neck cancers

Infections from human papillomavirus (HPV) may increase the risk of certain cancers of the head and neck, especially of the tonsils.

Archaeology

Ancient ash flow brought sudden death

Analysis of the excavation in Herculaneum of the victims of the A.D. 79 eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius indicates that when the initial ash flow swept through the city, it arrived so quickly that some residents didn't even have time to flinch.

Health & Medicine

Boosting Boron Could Be Healthful

Largely ignored so far, dietary boron may play important roles in preventing diseases such as arthritis and prostate cancer.

Health & Medicine

Fatty Findings

A recently discovered protein may explain at least part of the molecular mechanisms behind links among obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.