ByFredPearceByconventionalmeasures
ByLisaHitchenCrohn’sdiseasemightbeduetoaweakimmuneresponse
ByRoxanneKhamsi
ByWillKnightAweb-basedprogramthatsimplifiesmanytrickystepsinvolvedindesigningartificialDNAhasbeenreleasedbyUSmicrobiologists.Thesoftwaresuite
LIVINGforacenturyisnotmuchtoboastaboutthesedays.Thosewhoreachtheir100thbirthdayarebeingeclipsedbyanelitebandoftheextremelyaged:thesupercentenarians.Tojointhesupercentenarianclubyoumustliveto110.No
ByRoxanneKhamsi
ByDuncanGraham-RoweSURGEONSmaysoonbeabletooperateonabeatingheart.Motioncompensationsoftwarethatsynchronisesthemovementofroboticsurgicaltoolswiththatoftheheartwillmakeitpossibletooperatewithoutstopping
ByAndyCoghlanHERE’Sfoodforthought:ahormonethattriggershungermightalsoimprovelearningandmemory.Ghrelinisreleasedbythestomachwhenitisemptyandtriggershungerbybindingtothehypothalamus
ByAmandaGefterANANONYMOUSgirlinanunidentifiedcityentersanondescriptbuildingwhereshemeetsAlbertEinstein.Isheaghost?Aretheyinsomehiddendimension?Wedon’tknow.That’sthesurrealpremiseofPlease
ByJessicaMarshallITISamilestoneinthefightagainstcancer:intheUSthetotalnumberofcancerdeathshasdroppedforthefirsttimesincerecordsbeganin1930.Thebiggestcauseisadeclineinthenumberofsmokers.Theannouncem
ByAlisonMotlukHighlevelsofthestresshormonecortisolmaycauseearlypregnancyloss
BIRDfluhasspreaditswingsoncemore
FOSTERcarecanundosomeofthedamagewroughtonchildren’scognitiveandphysicaldevelopmentbybeinglefttogrowupinaRomanianorphanage.ForfiveyearsNathanFoxoftheUniversityofMaryland
ByAndyCoghlanPARTYGOERSwhotaketherecreationaldrugecstasymayfaceagreaterriskoflong-termbraindamageiftheybombardthemselveswithloudmusicallnightlong.Thewarningfollowsexperimentsinratsthatweresimultaneous
SHOULDexpertmedicalwitnessesbeallowedtosaywhattheylikeincourtwithoutfearofcensure
ByGaiaVinceMarriageissuchastrongbondthatifonepartnerfallsseriouslyillordies
ByRoxanneKhamsi
ByGrahamLawtonSOMUCHtodo
ByDeboraMacKenzieTheH5N1birdfluvirushasbeendiscoveredinpoultryintwostatesinIndia
THEnetisclosingoncounterfeiterswhopeddlethefakedrugsthatnowaccountforone-tenthofallmedicinessoldworldwide.Aplannedglobaltaskforce
ByStuHutsonPRIONproteinsthatplayakeyroleindiseasessuchasBSEincattleandvCJDinhumansmighthaveabenignalterego.Intheirnormalformtheymayhelpthedevelopmentofahealthynervoussystem.Noonequiteknowswhatfunction
ByNewScientist.comstaffandAFPThediscoveryofanewroleforasexgenecouldexplainwhymenareone-and-a-halftimesmorelikelytodevelopParkinson’sdiseasethanwomen.ScientistsattheUniversityofCaliforniaatLosAngeles(U
STRESShasoftenbeenblamedformiscarriagesinearlypregnancy
ByLisaHitchenArowovermedicalethicshasstayedtheexecutionofaconvictedkillerinCalifornia
AFTERyearsofstrugglingforsmoke-freeworkplaces
ByPeterAldhousNewUSstemcellguidelinesaretwostepsforwardforthefield–withouttheonestepbackthathadbeenfeared.InApril
ByDavidShigaASUSpresidentBarackObamavisitsMoscowthisweektodiscussnucleararmsreductionwithhisRussianoppositenumberDmitryMedvedev,
YOUcan’tgetsomethingfornothing
ByDeboraMacKenzieVaccineproducershavehitasnagmakingvaccineagainsttheswineflupandemic.AccordingtoareportbytheWorldHealthOrganisation
ByPaulMarksIntheGreatDepression
ByAndyCoghlanWhoneedsantihistaminesifyoucaneatyoursneezesanditchyeyesaway?Ricethatcouldprotectpeopleagainstallergiessuchashayfeverhasmovedastageclosertoclinicaltrials
ONEofAfrica’smostimportantfoodcropsislikelytobecomeincreasinglytoxicasaresultofcarbonemissions.Cassavaisastapleformorethanhalfabillionoftheworld’spoorestpeople.ItispromotedbyUNagenciessuchastheFoodand
ITMAYbethelastthingonyourmind
ByEwenCallaway
HOWanewactionfeelsismoreimportantthanhowitlooksforchildrenwithautism.Thiscouldbewhytheyfindimitationtough.RezaShadmehrandcolleaguesatJohnsHopkinsUniversityinBaltimore
(Image:JeanLouisBatt/Getty)ByNoraSchultzAnewwayofanalysingbrainactivityassoundmayrevealpreviouslyunknowndifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenhealthyanddysfunctionalbrainsWHATdoesthehumanbrainsoundlike
ByLisaGrossmanIfyouthinkyousweatbuckets
ByLindaGeddesJUSToneimitationhorsewasenoughtoconquerTroy
ByMattKaplanSeeagalleryofcommonhumanparasitesHOOKWORMS
BRAINconnectionsthatencouragetheformationoffalsememorieshavebeenidentified.Suchmemoriesappeartobemorelikelyinpeoplewithhigh-qualitylinksbetweenneuronsinaparticularbrainarea.Individualsoftenrecallthesa
ByAndyCoghlanAONE-OFFtreatmentfordiabetesisastepcloserthankstoabetterunderstandingofhowhumanlivercellscanbetransformedintosomethinglikethebetacellsthatproduceinsulininahealthypancreas.Thenewinsightsha
ByPriyaShettyFIFTYmillionpeoplearoundtheworldareguineapigsinclinicaltrialstestingexperimentaldrugsrightnow.Apartfrompotentiallyriskingtheirlives
ByAndyCoghlanCALLSformoreproofhavegreetedclaimsthathumanspermhavebeencreatedinthelabforthefirsttime.Iffurthertestsshowthatthelab-grownspermareindeedidenticaltothenaturalkind
ByDeboraMacKenzieAstheH1N1swineflupandemiccontinuestospreadaroundtheworld
ByDavidHamblingIFYOU’REtrappedunderrubbleafteranearthquake
ByDeboraMacKenzieTHEswineflupandemicisintensifying.TheWhiteHousewillmeetwithstaterepresentativeson9JulytodiscusspreparationsfortheautumnfluseasonintheUS
ByEwenCallaway(Image:JeffMiller/UniversityofWisconsin-MadisonUniversity)Themarchofoldagemaybeunstoppable
PATTERNSofgeneexpressioninawoman’sbloodmaygiveaclueastowhethersheislikelytogetpregnantusingIVF.Thiscouldhelpcouplesdecidewhethertogothroughwiththefertilitytreatment
ByDeboraMacKenzieCOULDbiodiversityprotecthumansfromdisease?Conservationistshavelongsuspecteditmight
THISweekthesouthernhemispherereportsthatpandemicswinefluisoutcompetingthepreviousseasonalvirusesastheregionenduresitswinterfluseason(see“Swineflustepsupafewgears”).Thisshouldcomeasasurprisetonoone: