Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
At-home telomere testing is not a reliable marker of aging, researcher says
Telomere testing for consumers offers a poor measure of “biological age,” says Johns Hopkins oncologist Mary Armanios.
- Health & Medicine
There are benefits to prenatal yoga, but lingering questions remain
Prenatal yoga offers benefits to pregnant women, but a bigger and more rigorous body of research is needed.
- Life
Dogs carry a surprising variety of flu viruses
Dogs in China carry a wider variety of flu viruses than previously thought, and may be capable of passing the flu to humans.
- Health & Medicine
What we know — and don’t know — about a new migraine drug
A migraine prevention drug was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But some questions about the therapy remain.
- Earth
Here’s a look at the world’s deadliest volcanoes — and the ways they kill
Scientists gathered data on nearly 280,000 global volcano deaths from 1500 to 2017 and sorted fatalities by cause of death, such as lava flows or gas.
- Health & Medicine
‘Outbreak’ puts the life cycle of an epidemic on display
At the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the exhibit “Outbreak” highlights how infectious diseases shape our world.
- Health & Medicine
Blame opioids for a fifth of young adult deaths in the United States
Of young adults aged 25 to 34 who died in 2016, 20 percent of those deaths were opioid-related.
- Health & Medicine
Experts advise: Start colorectal screening at 45, not 50
The American Cancer Society recommends that colorectal screening begin at the age of 45 for average-risk individuals.
- Climate
The first Americans could have taken a coastal route into the New World
Alaskan glaciers retreated in time for ancient coastal entries of the first Americans.
- Health & Medicine
Finally, a plan on how to include pregnant women in clinical trials
The FDA is providing initial guidance on how to include pregnant women in clinical trials that study drugs, research that has largely excluded this group in the past.
- Health & Medicine
Hurricane Maria killed at least 4,645 people in Puerto Rico, a study estimates
Researchers estimate Puerto Rico’s death toll from Hurricane Maria at more than 4,500 people based on household surveys — dwarfing the official count of 64.
- Health & Medicine
Keeping people within U.S. blood pressure guidelines saves lives
Big reductions in heart attacks, strokes and deaths may be possible under 2017 blood pressure guidelines.
