News Scan Briefs: Hand Transplant Recipients Switch Handedness
Also: ending nerve damage from needles, "caveman" connection to humans, electromagnetic chatter, and laser beams that curve
Stories by Coco Ballantyne
Veterinarians Unleash Probiotics to Ease Doggie Discomfort
A growing number of veterinarians are prescribing supplements of friendly bacteria for dogs, but is there enough scientific evidence to justify it?
What is Morgellons Disease? Is it a physical or psychological condition?
Patients are tormented by creeping, crawling sensations in their skin, but docs say there is no evidence of bugs or parasites
How do marine mammals avoid freezing to death?
Humans would never last in the ice-cold waters these creatures call home, but they have special adaptations to battle the elements
HIV co-discovers Gallo and Montagnier unite to push for renewed focus on HIV/AIDS
As the world frets about the swine flu virus, the scientists credited with discovering HIV urged governments and international organizations to redouble their commitment to the battle against AIDS.
Single bidder pays $68,000 to sequence his genome on eBay
Last week, we reported on an ongoing eBay auction for personal genome sequencing, analysis, and interpretation by Knome, Inc., a genetics company in Cambridge, Mass.
Man gets first double hand transplant in U.S.
A 57-year-old man from Alberta, Georgia has become the first person in the U.S. to receive a double hand transplant. After undergoing a ten-hour surgery that ended Monday night, the patient, Jeff Kepner, is in critical but stable condition, according to Amy Dugas Rose, a spokesperson for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UMPC), where team of ten surgeons carried out the operation.
Does Waterboarding Have Long-term Physical Effects?
It seems pretty obvious that waterboarding can cause emotional trauma, but does it threaten a person’s physical health?
Will Egypt's plans to kill pigs protect it from swine--sorry, H1N1 flu?
As swine flu fears sweep the world, governments everywhere are taking steps to prepare for a global pandemic, such as ramping up disease surveillance, reinforcing medicine stockpiles, and distributing infection control information to citizens.
5 Ways to Protect Yourself (and Others) from Swine Flu
Swine flu has yet to escalate into a global pandemic, but here's what to do if it does
Mystery solved: Polo ponies probably died of selenium overdose
The 21 polo ponies that dropped dead at the U.S. Open Polo Championship in Wellington, Fla., eleven days ago most likely succumbed to an overdose of selenium, used to help muscles recover after strenuous exercise, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has reported.
