Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Therapy dogs can ease young patients’ anxiety in the emergency room
A clinical trial found that spending about 10 minutes with a therapy dog reduced patients’ anxiety in a pediatric emergency room.
- Archaeology
These ancient Maya-era puppets may have been used in rituals
The puppets, unearthed in El Salvador, have movable heads, strange facial expressions and may have been dressed for ritual roles.
- Anthropology
Western Europe’s oldest face adds new wrinkles to human evolution
Face bones unearthed in a cave suggest that members of our genus, Homo, reached northern Spain as early as 1.4 million years ago.
- Neuroscience
Parenthood may help the brain stay young
A study of nearly 38,000 adults shows that the number of kids correlates with coordination of brain regions’ activities — regardless of parents’ sex.
- Health & Medicine
6 things to know about antidepressants
An abundance of data show that SSRIs, a class of drugs commonly used as antidepressants, are effective, though, like any drug, they have risks.
- Health & Medicine
Brain implants don’t change a person’s sense of self. Hear why
In the fifth episode of The Deep End, volunteers describe what it’s like to live with the stigma of depression and the treatments they seek for it.
- Science & Society
5 years after COVID-19 became a pandemic, are we ready for what’s next?
We’ve learned a lot about COVID-19 over the last five years, but big questions remain. Recent federal actions may hinder the disease’s management.
- Artificial Intelligence
Medical AI tools are growing, but are they being tested properly?
AI medical benchmark tests fall short because they don’t test efficiency on real tasks such as writing medical notes, experts say.
- Health & Medicine
Treating male partners along with women may help stop bacterial vaginosis
In a clinical trial, treating both partners in a relationship significantly reduced the likelihood of recurrence of bacterial vaginosis.
- Archaeology
Human ancestors made the oldest known bone tools 1.5 million years ago
The excavation of bone tools at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania expands the range of ancient hominids’ cultural innovations.
- Health & Medicine
These scientists have a plan to demystify the vaginal microbiome
Vaginal microbes play a huge role in overall health, but researchers know relatively little about them. Citizen science could help change that.
- Physics
The sound of clapping, explained by physics
The “Helmholtz resonator” concept explains the frequencies of sound produced by clapping the hands together in different configurations.
