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Fatal Fellatio
And other news from science and technology.
By William Saletan
Updated Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, at 8:05 AM ET

http://www.slate.com/id/2130125/

(For the latest Human Nature columns on stem cells, Pat Robertson, and abortion, click here.)

A study indicates that oral sex can lead to mouth cancer. Swedish researchers found that 36 percent of mouth cancer patients, but only 1 percent of a control group, carried the human papilloma virus (or HPV), which can be acquired through oral sex. Study director's conclusion: "You should avoid having oral sex." (For Human Nature's take on the risks of oral vs. anal sex, click here.)

NASA will send robots to find extractable water and oxygen for a manned moon base. The four or five missions will prepare the way for a permanent station at the moon's south pole in 2018. Early betting is that it'll be easier to get water than oxygen.