Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Should you bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood? Here’s a guide for thinking through the issue.
The professionals have advice to give, but the decision is ultimately a personal one.
- Health & Medicine
50 years on, vaccines have eliminated measles from the Americas
Thanks to high vaccination rates, measles has mostly disappeared from the Americas.
- Health & Medicine
World’s hottest pepper may have triggered this man’s severe headaches
A man ate one of the hottest peppers in the world. About a minute later, his head began pounding.
- Anthropology
Finger fossil puts people in Arabia at least 86,000 years ago
A desert discovery suggests that Arabia was an ancient human destination.
- Health & Medicine
Delusions of skin infestation may not be so rare
Delusional infestation, an unwavering belief that one’s skin is overrun with creatures or objects, may not be as rare as previously thought, researchers say.
- Neuroscience
Human brains make new nerve cells — and lots of them — well into old age
In humans, new neurons are still born in old brains, new research suggests.
- Health & Medicine
A new coronavirus is killing pigs in China
Genetic evidence identifies a previously unknown coronavirus that’s causing problems in pigs.
- Health & Medicine
When deciding whether to bank your baby’s umbilical cord blood, consider these caveats
Despite all the excitement, the cells found in cord blood may not be as useful as advertised.
- Health & Medicine
Are we ready for the deadly heat waves of the future?
As heat waves become more common, cities try to respond.
- Anthropology
Ardi walked the walk 4.4 million years ago
Ancient hominid evolved upright stance without sacrificing climbing ability.
- Health & Medicine
The science behind cancer warnings on coffee is murky at best
The risks of acrylamide in coffee are not as clear as a California court ruling may suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Opioids kill. Here’s how an overdose shuts down your body
Powerful opioids affect many parts of the body, but the drugs’ most deadly effects are on breathing.
