Friday, 25 May, 2012

People have been controlling fermentation for at least 9,000 years. What were the ancients brewing, and how did alcohol change society?

How is flu vaccine is made in eggs and animal cells? What is being done to protect us against a fast-changing, deadly virus?

Golfer-doctor finds that treating apnea cuts golf scores; sees new motivator for wearing nighttime masks.

Until now, getting a picture of genetic change in a tumor over time has been next to impossible. A new study reveals that cancer’s genetic tangle gets more complicated with time.

Virologists have been working late since swine flu appeared in April. With flu running amok in South America, what can we expect when the epidemic returns north this fall?

Can our evolutionary roots explain that self-destructive search for sex – and sexual companionship? Could Darwinian psychology constitute the cause home-wrecking, career-blitzing fatal attractions?

Fraud happens. In a 2009 survey, 2 percent of scientists admitted faking data; 14 percent said colleagues have done it. Problems worst in drug and other medical studies.

The epidemic fades, with 61 confirmed deaths and 5,251 cases so far. Were the public health warnings overdone? Or did they help stem the pandemic? Your guide to the time of finger-pointing, flu-style.

Scientists are proving that intestinal bacteria can help health — but for what conditions? Should you take probiotic supplements or eat foods with beneficial bugs? What does the science say — and not say?

As the day wears on, both sleep pressure and the brain’s alerting signal rise, until sleep pressure triumphs. [Nod]. New brain study explains why night owls don’t get as sleepy during the day.