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Enlarge this image Doctors and researchers question the efficacy of many common over-the-counter treatments for colds and flus. Jeff Greenberg/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Jeff Greenberg/Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images When you stroll down the cold and flu aisle in a drugstore, it's easy to get lost in the dizzying array of products promising to clear sinus pressure, dry up sniffles and stop plaguing coughs. Some concoctions even offer it all in one magical pill. But doctors say the science behind some of those claims is lackluster. "There's just not much that's very effectiv

Certain cold medications could be pulled from the shelves after the FDA ruled that phenylephrine doesn't work. AP Photo

Abstract Advanced geoscience techniques are essential to contextualize fossils, artefacts and other archaeologically important material accurately and effectively. Their appropriate use will increase confidence in new interpretations of the fossil and archaeological record, providing important information about the life and depositional history of these materials and so should form an integral component of all human evolutionary studies. Many of the most remarkable recent finds that have transformed the field of human evolution are small and scarce, ranging in size from teeth to strands of DNA, recovered from complex sedimentary environments. Nevertheless, if properly analysed, they hold immense potential to rewrite what we know about the evolution of our species and our closest hominin ancestors.

What's the difference between influenza A and influenza B, and does it matter which you catch? Each fall, the flu emerges as a formidable force, spreading through the droplets produced when people cough, sneeze or talk, and sometimes hitching a ride to our noses by way of the infected surfaces that we touch. Influenza viruses cause tens of millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the United States each year. There are two players every flu season: influenza Type A and Type B. Influenza A tends to pop up early in the season and accounts for more than 75 percent of all cases, while influenza B typically has a distinct but much smaller peak in late February or March. "You tend to have one or the other virus predominant at any given time," said Anice Lowen, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Emory University School of Medicine. Here's what to know about the flu viruses. What's the difference between Type A and Type B? Influenza A viru

Health officials are scrambling to trace contacts of a person infected with a new form of swine flu, after the UK detected its first human case of H1N2. Fifty human cases of the strain have been reported globally since 2005. The new case is the first to be detected in the UK and is unrelated genetically to the previous cases. Influenza A(H1N2)v is similar to flu viruses circulating in pigs in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency has formally notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the discovery. Based on early information, the infection detected in the UK is a distinct clade or form – 1b.1.1 – which is different from recent human cases of H1N2 elsewhere in the world. The person infected, who has not been identified, had a mild illness and has recovered. They were not hospitalised and were not known to have worked with pigs, the Guardian understands. How they came to be infected remains under investigation. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is carrying out contact tracin

Having a cold or flu can cause a nagging cough, chills and fever — but what's the best way to treat these viruses? Many options can alleviate cold and flu symptoms , including over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications — and it's important to know the difference. "A prescription medication requires authorization from a health care provider, and an over-the-counter medication allows you to self-treat conditions such as colds, allergies, headaches and joint pain," Dr. Elaena Quattrocchi, a pharmacist and associate professor in the Division of Pharmacy Practice at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, told Fox News Digital. HERE'S HOW TO PREVENT COLD AND FLU FROM SPREADING THROUGHOUT YOUR HOUSEHOLD "You can buy OTC medications in a pharmacy, but also in supermarkets and other stores," she said. Prescription medications should only be taken if given to a patient by a health care professional, Quattrocchi advised.  There