Humans

Health & Medicine

WHO: Very little risk that Brazil’s Olympics will speed Zika’s spread

Olympics not likely to hasten international spread of Zika virus, according to WHO analysis that includes data from previous mass gatherings.

Health & Medicine

Moms’ voices get big reactions in kids’ brains

Mothers’ voices get big responses in kids’ brains, a neural reaction that may lead to feelings of calm.

Psychology

Kids’ anxieties, depression need attention

Psychological troubles in childhood are no longer considered a part of normal development.

Neuroscience

Abnormal sense of touch may play role in autism

Autism-related genes are important for touch perception, a sense that may help the brain develop normally, a study of mice suggests.

Life

Refined ‘three-parent-baby’ procedure improves chances for healthy infant

Improved technique could reduce risk of passing on faulty mitochondria.

Life

Obesity’s weight gain message starts in gut

Acetate made by gut microbes stimulates weight gain, research in rodents suggests.

Anthropology

Hobbit history gets new preface

Jaw, tooth fossils put new spin on evolution of Homo floresiensis.

Genetics

Ancient DNA tells of two origins for dogs

Genetic analysis of an ancient Irish mutt reveals complicated history of dog domestication.

Archaeology

Earliest evidence of fire making in Europe found

Clues to Stone Age fire making surface in a Spanish cave.

Neuroscience

Morphine may make pain last longer

Instead of busting pain, morphine lengthened the duration of pain in rats with a nerve injury.

Tech

Nanoparticles beat back atherosclerosis

Nanoparticles that find and destroy waxy plaques in blood vessels could be the next big treatment for heart disease.

Life

Bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotic appears in U.S.

For the first time in the United States, scientists have reported a patient infected with a strain of bacteria carrying the gene mrc-1, making it resistant to the last-ditch antibiotic colistin.