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/ 13 December 2005
New maps show that the Earth is rapidly running out of fertile land and that food production will soon be unable to keep up with the world’s burgeoning population. The maps reveal that more than one-third of the world’s land is being used to grow crops or graze cattle.
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/ 25 November 2005
Depriving young children of cuddles and attention subtly changes how their brains develop and in later life can leave them anxious and poor at forming relationships, according to a study published recently. Love and affection from parents and carers are vital to developing brain pathways associated with handling stress and forming social bonds, the researchers found.
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/ 7 November 2005
Primordial clay ”wombs” that lie scattered around ocean floors played a crucial role in fostering early life on Earth, according to a team of scientists. The clay structures were found in deep waters, in and around ocean floor volcanic vents called black smokers, so named because they churn out hot black particles from the Earth’s crust.
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/ 4 November 2005
Women with attractive faces tend to have higher levels of the sex hormone oestrogen, according to a study published this month. The finding suggests that features such as large eyes and lips are linked to higher fertility and so make women appear more attractive.
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/ 26 October 2005
Nearly a fifth of all human genes have been patented — the majority by private biotechnology companies, according to a survey of patent records published recently. The extent to which companies claim ownership of human genes has led to warnings that in asserting commercial rights over crucial genes, companies risk stifling research into diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes and obesity.
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/ 17 October 2005
If you are one of those people who drops off instantly into a deep sleep every night, then the chances are you inherited the ability from your parents. For those who toss and turn there is no hope: good sleep is encoded in the genes, say researchers. Hans-Peter Landolt and his team at the University of Zurich compared the sleep patterns and DNA of two groups.
Every species seems to come and go. Some last longer than others, but nothing lasts forever. Humans are a relatively recent phenomenon, jumping out of trees and striding across the land around 200 000 years ago. Will we persist for many millions of years to come, or are we headed for an evolutionary makeover, or even extinction?