Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Common drugs help reverse signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in rats
A thyroid hormone and a blood sugar drug affect levels of a hormone needed for brain development, study in rats shows.
- Genetics
Dog domestication happened just once, ancient DNA study suggests
DNA of ancient canines counters idea that dogs were domesticated twice, in Europe and Asia.
- Archaeology
Copper in Ötzi the Iceman’s ax came from surprisingly far away
Copper for the ancient Iceman’s blade traveled about 500 kilometers to his northern Italian home region.
- Life
These bacteria may egg on colon cancer
Streptococcus gallolyticus may goad colon cancer growth.
- Health & Medicine
The fight against gonorrhea gets a potential new weapon: a vaccine
A vaccine used in New Zealand to curb meningitis also appeared to drop gonorrhea infections, results that hint at a way to make a gonorrhea vaccine.
- Health & Medicine
Drinking sugary beverages in pregnancy linked to kids’ later weight gain
Consuming sugary drinks while pregnant may mean kids are heavier when they reach elementary school age.
- Anthropology
Fossil tooth pushes back record of mysterious Neandertal relative
A Denisovan child’s fossil tooth dates to at least 100,000 years ago, researchers say.
- Archaeology
Pin-drop test pops Greek amphitheater’s acoustic claims
Analysis of an ancient Greek amphitheater’s ability to carry sounds reveals overblown tour guide claims.
- Anthropology
How humans (maybe) domesticated themselves
Prior to taming other species, humans selected for more docile traits among fellow Homo sapiens, a slew of recent studies suggest.
- Genetics
Double-duty DNA plays a role in birth and death
Coronary artery disease may be the price humans pay for improved fertility.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s how a child sees a Van Gogh painting
Children’s eyes are drawn to vivid, bright and bold parts of Van Gogh paintings. But they can shift their viewing strategies with a little prompting, a new study suggests.
- Anthropology
The southern drawl gets deconstructed
Analysis of the diversity of vowel sounds found in southern accents could help developers of speech recognition software.
