Humans
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Anthropology
Water tubing accidents, table run-ins cause Neandertal-like injuries
People’s injury patterns today can’t explain how Neandertals got so many head wounds.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Lungs enlist immune cells to fight infections in capillaries
Immune cells in the lungs provide a rapid counterattack to bloodstream infections, a new study in mice finds.
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Neuroscience
Nerve cell miswiring linked to depression
A gene helps nerve cell axons extend to parts of the brain to deliver serotonin, a brain chemical associated with depression.
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Science & Society
HPV vaccine as cancer prevention is a message that needs to catch on
Vaccination against HPV is cancer prevention, but low vaccination rates suggest that message isn’t clear.
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Health & Medicine
Zika hides out in body’s hard-to-reach spots
Zika virus sticks around in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of monkeys.
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Archaeology
First settlers reached Americas 130,000 years ago, study claims
Mastodon site suggests first Americans arrived unexpectedly early.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Long naps lead to less night sleep for toddlers
Daytime naps can steal sleep from the night, a small study of toddlers suggests.
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Health & Medicine
Faux womb keeps preemie lambs alive
A device can keep premature lambs alive for a month in womblike conditions.
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Humans
Homo naledi’s brain shows humanlike features
South African Homo species had small but humanlike brain, scientists say.
By Bruce Bower -
Archaeology
Oldest evidence of patterned silk loom found in China
Chinese finds offer earliest look at game-changing weaving machine.
By Bruce Bower -
Anthropology
Ötzi the Iceman froze to death
Copper Age Iceman froze to death, with shoulder and head damage.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & Medicine
Evidence is lacking that ‘cocooning’ prevents whooping cough in newborns
In general, vaccinating adults who come into close contact with newborns is a good idea, but the practice on its own may not keep whooping cough away.