Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Archaeology
Oldest evidence of patterned silk loom found in China
Chinese finds offer earliest look at game-changing weaving machine.
- Anthropology
Ötzi the Iceman froze to death
Copper Age Iceman froze to death, with shoulder and head damage.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
Frog slime protein fights off the flu
Urumin, a protein found in Indian frog mucus secretions, has a knack for taking down H1 flu viruses, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Frog slime protein fights off the flu
Urumin, a protein found in Indian frog mucus secretions, has a knack for taking down H1 flu viruses, a new study finds.
- Archaeology
How the house mouse tamed itself
When people began to settle down, animals followed. Some made successful auditions as our domesticated species. Others — like mice — became our vermin, a new study shows.
- Health & Medicine
Autism, ADHD risk not linked to prenatal exposure to antidepressants
Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, two new large studies suggest.
- Archaeology
Shock-absorbing spear points kept early North Americans on the hunt
Ancient Americans invented a way to make spear points last on an unfamiliar continent.
- Health & Medicine
Rules restricting artificial trans fats are good for heart health
Taking artificial trans fats off the menu reduces hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke.
- Health & Medicine
Vaccinating pregnant women protects newborns from whooping cough
Pregnant women who receive the pertussis, or whooping cough, vaccine pass on to their new-borns immunity to the potentially deadly bacterial infection.
- Humans
Scientists seek early signs of autism
The search for autism biomarkers, in the blood and the brain, is heating up.
- Health & Medicine
Genetic risk of getting second cancer tallied for pediatric survivors
Inherited mutations, not only treatment, affect the chances that a childhood cancer survivor will develop a second cancer later in life.
