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Below is today’s selection of the most interesting science, health, and tech news reports. For analysis and commentary from around the Web, check out the hot topics page. For Human Nature’s takes on some of these stories, visit the blog. (I generally post the link first and write the blog entry later, so check back.) To add your own take, open or join a discussion thread in the Fray—and please link to the original story so others can participate intelligently in the conversation.
May 16
Twin embryo found inside 9-year-old girl
(AP)
More on twin absorption
(Russell Goldman, ABC News)
Los Angeles mayor proposes to recycle sewage for drinking water
(Rich Connell, Los Angeles Times, Randal Archibold, New York Times)
35-year sentence for HIV carrier who spat on a policeman
(Gretel Kovach, New York Times)
Indictment for “cyberbaiting” a girl into suicide
(Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times)
Former employee describes New England Patriots’ signal videotaping scheme
(Greg Bishop, New York Times)
New escalation in the swimsuit arms race: a lawsuit
(Lisa Dillman, Los Angeles Times / Karen Crouse, New York Times)
An update on the U.S. military’s exoskeleton project
(Mark Jewell, AP)
Another missile strike by a U.S. drone in Pakistan
(Jane Perlez, New York Times)
Population of giant pythons has doubled in Florida in five years
(AFP)
Veterans Affairs psychologist, citing payout cost and inadequate testing, urges less diagnosis of PTSD
(Christopher Lee, Washington Post)
Canada approves over-the-counter sales of morning-after pills”
(Leah Schnurr, Reuters)
Hollywood celebrity wiretapping case ends in conviction
(David Halbfinger, New York Times)
May 15
Quake leaves many parents childless, thanks to Chinese one-child policy
(Ching-Ching Ni, Los Angeles Times)
FDA postpones first clinical trial of embryonic stem-cell therapy
(Bloomberg News)
Cigarette vending-machine cameras will digitally compute whether your face is underage
(New Scientist)
Senator calls for Mitchell-type investigation of NFL videotaping scandal
(Greg Bishop, New York Times)
Chicago repeals its ban on foie gras
(Dan Mihalopoulos and Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune)
Most female child molesters were sexually abused as kids
(Susan Strickland , Journal of Interpersonal Violence)
Regenerating tissue with “living bandages”
(New Scientist)
More evidence linking obesity to everyday chemicals
(Michael Kahn, Reuters)
Japan joins the pre-Olympics racing-swimsuit arms race
(Shigemi Sato, AFP)
Watch out for fecal bacteria in beach sand
(Andrew Rogerson et al, Journal of Environmental Quality)
Psychological stress may cause overeating in female monkeys, too
(Mark Wilson et al, Physiology and Behavior)
Sloths sleep 60 percent longer in captivity than in the wild
(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)
We see only three primary colors, but shrimp see up to 12
(Sonja Kleinlogel and Andrew White, PLoS One / Ben Hirschler, Reuters)
Longevity gap increases between more and less educated Americans
(Ahmedin Jemal et al, PLoS One)
Overconfidence kills business startups
(Briony Pulford et al, Experimental Psychology)
Retailers exploit studies of shoppers’ brain activity
(Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Wall Street Journal)
Analysis of potential autism genes
(Elena Grigorenko et al, Biological Psychiatry)
Lasers can identify faint fingerprints on dead bodies
(New Scientist)
May 14
U.S. sedated deportees against their will
(Amy Goldstein and Dana Priest, Washington Post)
50 percent of women who don’t want to get pregnant use contraception inconsistently, incorrectly, or not at all
(Alan Guttmacher Institute)
Vatican says extraterrestrials are our brothers
(Philip Pullella, Reuters)
Most Americans now regularly take prescription drugs
(Linda Johnson, AP)
Butch lesbian settles with restaurant over being bounced from the women’s bathroom
(Jennifer Lee, New York Times)
The new suburban problem: coyote attacks
(Alicia Chang, AP)
France proposes mandatory breathalyzers in bars
(BBC)
Taliban orders Afghans to stop watching TV
(Sayed Salahuddin, Reuters)
NFL finds no basis for further investigation of Patriots videotape espionage
(Mike Reiss, Boston Globe)
Boston Herald retracts its report of an additional Patriots videotape incident
Should boys be vaccinated for HPV, too?
(Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times)
A biochemical basis for social anxiety disorder?
(Frederieke van Veen et al, Journal of Nuclear Medicine)
Kids think kids who wear glasses look smarter and more honest
(Jeffrey Walline et al, Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics)
Researcher solicits amputees for a study of phantom limb pain
(Emma Duerden, University of Montreal)
Number of protein interactions, not genes, quantifies human complexity relative to flies
(Michael Stumpf et al, PNAS)
Air pollution correlates with blood clots
(Andrea Baccarelli, Archives of Internal Medicine)
“Women, minorities more prone to filing grievances”
(Industrial Relations)
Natural selection makes parasites more vicious even if this kills their host
(Jacobus de Roode et al, PNAS)
France rejects legislation for genetically modified crops
(AFP)
May 13
First germline genetic modification of a human embryo
(Sarah-Kate Templeton, Times)
Britain’s conservative party proposes to require “male role model” as a condition of lesbian or single-woman IVF
(Nicholas Watt, Guardian)
British geneticists debate birth-defect risks of cousin marriage
(Robin McKie, Guardian)
McCain speech guarantees next U.S. president will support a mandatory emissions cap
(Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post)
Biotech firms are patenting crops genetically engineered for global warming
(Rick Weiss, Washington Post)
U.S. military considers awarding Purple Hearts for psychological wounds
(Yochi Dreazen, Wall Street Journal)
South Carolina Supreme Court overturns homicide conviction for using cocaine while pregnant
(Rick Brudrett, State)
Arkansas woman is carrying her 18th child
(Jill Zeman, AP)
Moderate drinking may reduce the risk of hip fractures
(Karina Berg et al, American Journal of Medicine / Reuters)
Spanish court hears testimony via webcam
(Graham Keeley, Guardian)
Smaller children are more likely to become hostile adults
(Katri Raikkonen et al, Psychosomatic Medicine / Reuters)
Viagra may protect the heart from muscular dystrophy
(Christine Des Rosiers et al, PNAS / Reuters)
Chinese Americans are far less likely than other groups to be obese or overweight
(Gregory Burke et al, Archives of Internal Medicine / Reuters)
May 12
The worldwide spread of nuclear technology
(Joby Warrick, Washington Post)
Latest nuclear-reactor camouflage fools spy satellites
(Joby Warrick, Washington Post)
The fetal viability line hasn’t advanced in 12 years
(David Field et al, British Medical Journal / Tim Castle, Reuters)
Everything you ever wanted to know about Korean dog meat
(Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal)
Spam invades cell phones
(Laura Holson, New York Times)
Schools use GPS monitors to reduce truancy
(Gretel Kovach, New York Times)
U.S. drug czar says pot worsens depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts
(James Hohmann, Los Angeles Times)
26 genes for height identified
(Peter Visscher, Michael Weedon et al, Guillaume Lettre et al, Nature Genetics)
Does breeding for speed cost horses durability?
(Joe Drape, New York Times)
Web porn is killing Playboy
(Joanne Kaufman, New York Times)
Investment grows in Godtube
(John Metcalfe, New York Times)
DARPA’s latest military gadgets
(Walter Pincus, Washington Post)
New ceramic artificial hips disrupt life with squeaking
(Barnaby Feder, New York Times)
Sleeping pills are causing more crazy behavior than previously reported
(Melinda Beck, Wall Street Journal)
U.S. stops incinerating dead military personnel at pet crematorium
(Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times)
A legislative fight over dissolving human bodies in lye
(Norma Love, Associated Press)
Japan revokes its ban on military use of space
(Isabel Reynolds, Reuters)
Want to increase employee productivity? Shut down your company
(Magnus Hansson, Örebro University)
Pipes, wires, and other everyday items are being stolen for their copper
(Kan Lydersen, Washington Post)
New Mexico spaceport proceeds
(Marc Kaufman, Washington Post)
Breast-fed girls are less likely to get breast cancer
(Hazel Nichols et al, Epidemiology / Joene Hendry, Reuters)
