Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Hundreds of dietary supplements are tainted with potentially harmful drugs
Most dietary supplements tainted with pharmaceutical drugs were marketed for sexual enhancement, weight loss or muscle building.
- Plants
50 years ago, a 550-year-old seed sprouted
Old seeds can sprout new plants even after centuries of dormancy.
- Health & Medicine
Nearly 2 million U.S. adult nonsmokers vape
A new study finds that an estimated 1.9 million U.S. adult nonsmokers use e-cigarettes, highlighting worries that the devices are addictive.
- Health & Medicine
‘Sawbones’ invites readers to laugh at the bizarre history of medicine
‘The Sawbones Book,’ based on the popular podcast by Dr. Sydnee and Justin McElroy, ties the strange history of modern medicine to modern pseudoscience.
- Health & Medicine
City size and structure may influence influenza epidemics
The size and structure of cities helps shape the progression of new influenza cases during a flu season, a new study finds.
- Humans
A 90,000-year-old bone knife hints special tools appeared early in Africa
The discovery of a bone knife in a Moroccan cave points to the ancient emergence of specialized toolmaking in the region.
- Health & Medicine
Discovery of how to prod a patient’s immune system to fight cancer wins a Nobel
Two scientists share the 2018 medicine Nobel for identifying proteins that act as brakes on tumor-fighting T cells.
- Life
Cancer immunotherapy wins the 2018 medicine Nobel Prize
Therapies that unleash immune system brakes against cancer have earned the 2018 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
- Health & Medicine
The CDC says 80,000 people died from the flu last year
The 2017-2018 flu season was one of the deadliest on record for the United States.
- Archaeology
Laser mapping shows the surprising complexity of the Maya civilization
A large-scale lidar survey of Guatemalan forests reveals evidence of ancient, interconnected Maya cities.
- Psychology
Shahzeen Attari explores the psychology of saving the planet
Merging psychology with engineering, Shahzeen Attari probes how people think about conservation, energy use and climate change.
- Life
Emily Balskus uses chemical logic to study the microbiome
Using chemistry to peer at the microbial world, Emily Balskus is revealing how microbes influence human health.
