Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Genetics
The study of human heredity got its start in insane asylums
‘Genetics in the Madhouse’ reveals how human heredity research began as a statistical science in 19th century insane asylums.
- Psychology
Kids today are waiting longer than ever in the classic marshmallow test
Preschoolers wait longer for extra treats than they used to. What does it mean?
- Life
Leprosy lurks in armadillos in Brazil’s Amazon
Armadillos in the Brazilian Amazon are often infected with leprosy, which they may pass to people.
- Neuroscience
A brain chemical tied to narcolepsy may play a role in opioid addiction
Long-term use of opioids such as heroin is linked to having more brain cells that release a chemical that regulates wakefulness and arousal.
- Health & Medicine
How to make CAR-T cell therapies for cancer safer and more effective
CAR-T cell therapy was approved by the FDA in late 2017. Now, scientists are working to tame the cancer treatment’s side effects.
- Health & Medicine
Medical breakthroughs come with a human cost
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute muses on the risks many medical advances pose in their infancy.
- Health & Medicine
Poliovirus treatment helped patients with deadly brain tumors live longer
A genetically modified poliovirus appears to help fight brain cancer, a small, early-stage clinical study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
‘Aroused’ recounts the fascinating history of hormones
The new book "Aroused" demystifies hormones, the chemicals that put the zing into life.
- Health & Medicine
What is it about hogweed — and lemons and limes — that can cause burns?
Some plants have compounds that, after exposure to sunlight, produce streaky or spotty burns.
- Health & Medicine
New studies add evidence to a possible link between Alzheimer’s and herpesvirus
Researchers saw higher levels of herpesvirus in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, which may contribute to plaque formation.
- Anthropology
Koko the gorilla is gone, but she left a legacy
An ape that touched millions imparted some hard lessons about primate research.
- Anthropology
A 2,200-year-old Chinese tomb held a new gibbon species, now extinct
Researchers have discovered a new gibbon species in an ancient royal Chinese tomb. It's already extinct.
