We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
Scientists recovered ancient human DNA from cave walls for the first time. Refined, the method could help link prehistoric paintings to their makers.
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses the history of unethical practices in research on human remains and the progress toward more ethical standards.
Parasite-induced cases of explosive diarrhea are sweeping the United States. Containing the outbreak won’t be easy.
Biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson is leading an effort to prevent history from repeating.
Analysis of six mummies from ancient Egypt challenges the idea that the bows and daggers buried with some royal women were merely ceremonial.
A new generation of therapies aims to intervene at a recently discovered gap between the disease’s molecular march and its neurological consequences.
A Maya calendar formula bears the name Sak Tahn Waax, the first known Classic Maya mathematician-astronomer directly credited for such work.
Clinical trial results show an experimental drug lowered tau levels in the brain and slowed some memory loss, but the data came with a surprise twist.
The HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative’s approach, which centered the user and made refills easy, meant all types of methods worked well.
