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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: plague

plague stories: 8 news summaries

Plague Bacteria Linked to Death of Scientist

University of Chicago geneticist exposed to weakened strain

Sep 22, 09 10:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - A 60-year-old researcher at the University of Chicago died earlier this month from an infection that may have been set off by the bacteria that causes the plague. Malcolm Casadaban was working with a weakened strain of the bacteria that is normally harmless, and the CDC has been called in... More »

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Chicago • plague • University of Chicago • bacteria • research • scientist • academic scientists

China Isolates Town After 2
Die of Plague

10,000 quarantined in Tibetan region after outbreak at funeral

Aug 3, 09 7:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - China has quarantined a remote town of 10,000 after two people died of pneumonic plague, one of the world's deadliest diseases. The Times of London reports that the first victim died after burying his dog, and 11 people at the funeral then fell ill, one fatally. Pneumonic plague is... More »

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China • plague • quarantine • Tibetans

 'Vampire' Unearthed in Venice 

Gravediggers took steps to stop corpse feasting on other plague victims

Mar 14, 09 2:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Italian archeologists have discovered evidence of an ancient vampire-slaying ritual in a 16th-century plague pit near Venice, the AP reports. A female skeleton was unearthed with a brick wedged between her jaws, in what experts believe was an attempt by superstitious gravediggers to stop the corpse from eating through its... More »

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archaeology • plague • Northern Italy • superstition • Venice • vampire

 Black Death 
 Wipes Out 
 al-Qaeda Camp 
 in Algeria 

Bubonic plague wiped out 40 recruits at Algerian base

Jan 20, 09 5:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Bubonic plague is believed to have wiped out dozens of al-Qaeda recruits at a terror training camp in Algeria, the Daily Mail reports. The epidemic came to light when security forces found a militant's diseased body dumped on a roadside. Security sources say the plague forced the group to turn... More »

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Algeria • plague • epidemic • terrorist • al-Qaeda Islamic Maghreb • al-Qaeda

 Sleep Longer, Live Longer? 

Extra hour of sleep linked to less calcification in arteries

Dec 24, 08 2:00 AM CST
(Newser) - An extra hour in bed may save your life, Web MD reports. Every extra hour of sleep over six hours a night has been linked to a significant drop in people's chances of developing a build-up of calcium in their arteries, potentially cutting their risk of heart attack, according to... More »

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sleep • plague • University of Chicago • heart attack • artery calcification

Romans Left Conquered Peoples More Prone to HIV

Those in areas ruled by empire less likely to have key gene, scientists find

Sep 4, 08 6:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Roman conquest of Europe may explain why populations living in the former empire are more vulnerable to HIV, French researchers say. A genetic variant that protects against the AIDS-causing virus is less prevalent in former Roman colonies such as England, France, Greece, and Spain, though some argue that a... More »

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genetics • plague • global health • HIV/AIDS • genetic research • Roman Empire

NEW RELEASE

Smith Carries Legend

Movie has its flaws, but it's also a lot of fun

Dec 14, 07 8:31 AM CST
(Newser) - I Am Legend, a tale of the last man on Earth, who, through some freak of immunity, avoids a killer virus, isn't a perfect film. But despite its lack of surprises and its ending, which feels like "a studio-sanctioned reshoot," writes Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, "you’... More »

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entertainment • film • plague • movie review • Will Smith • movies

Plague Kills Monkey in Denver Zoo

Danger to humans from flea-borne disease deemed minimal

May 22, 07 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The bubonic plague has hit the Denver Zoo. An 8-year-old hooded capuchin monkey named Spanky was found dead last week, and postmortem tests confirmed that the cause was plague. The Denver Post reports that the monkey may have contracted the disease, which is usually spread by fleas, by eating the... More »

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health • disease • plague • Denver Zoo • monkey • outbreak • animal

8 Stories


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