Humans

  1. Archaeology

    Maize domestication grows older in Mexico

    Maize cultivation existed in southern Mexico at least 6,300 years ago, according to a recent radiocarbon analysis of two maize cobs unearthed in a cave nearly 40 years ago.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Health & Medicine

    Common additive thwarts malaria parasite

    Triclosan--a drug used as an antimicrobial agent in toothpaste, deodorant, and other products--kills rodent malaria parasites in mice and human malaria parasites in test-tube studies.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Health & Medicine

    Path to heart health is one with a peel

    Citrus fruits may deserve a more prominent role in the diet. A research team in Canada has just shown that drinking several glasses of orange juice daily can pump up blood concentrations of the so-called good cholesterol. Boosting this high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol can slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaque (SN: 9/9/89, p. 171). In their […]

    By Janet Raloff
  4. Health & Medicine

    Teeth grinding linked to sleep apnea

    Rhythmic grinding of teeth during sleep occurs at least once a week in as many as 8.2 percent of people.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Health & Medicine

    Lyme vaccine works in a curious way

    Antibodies formed in response to the vaccine against Lyme disease kill the bacteria that cause it while they are still in the deer tick that spreads it.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    It pays to keep those islet cells

    A patient who has inflammation of the pancreas and needs to have the organ removed can avoid getting diabetes if islet cells are salvaged from the pancreas and reimplanted into the liver.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Statins Take On the Brain

    Cholesterol-lowering drugs may also treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

    By John Travis
  8. Health & Medicine

    HIV-related viruses still cross species line

    Various potentially dangerous strains of simian immunodeficiency virus exist in wild primates in Africa and are still being spread among people who hunt the animals for meat.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Anthropology

    Neandertals and humans each get a grip

    A fossil analysis indicates that, by about 100,000 years ago, modern humans in the Middle East had hands suited to holding stone tools by attached handles, whereas Neandertals did not.

    By Bruce Bower
  10. Health & Medicine

    One-Two Drug Punch Trips Up Leukemia

    A leukemia cell seals its own fate when researchers trap cancer-causing proteins in its nucleus.

    By Jessa Netting
  11. Humans

    Amateur Scientist

    The Web site of the Society for Amateur Scientists offers discussion forums, projects, and resources for people interested in taking part “in scientific adventures of all kinds.” Go to: http://earth.thesphere.com/sas/ or http://www.sas.org/

    By Science News
  12. Health & Medicine

    ‘Bug’ spray cuts risk of ear infection

    Spraying “good” bacteria into the nose reduced the incidence of ear infections in children especially prone to such infections.

    By Janet Raloff