Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Most women get uterine fibroids. This researcher wants to know why
Biomedical engineer Erika Moore investigates diseases that disproportionately affect women of color.
- Humans
An ancient bone recasts how Indigenous Australians treated megafauna
A new look at cuts on a giant kangaroo bone reveal First Peoples as fossil collectors, not hunters who helped drive species extinct, some scientists argue.
- Health & Medicine
COVID-related smell loss may last years
Using a scratch-and-sniff test, researchers discovered that smell loss after COVID-19 may linger for more than two years.
- Animals
Guppies fall for a classic optical illusion. Doves, usually, do too
Comparing animals’ susceptibility to optical illusions can show how perception evolved.
- Health & Medicine
Even for elite athletes, the body’s metabolism has its limits
While ultramarathoners are capable of huge energy spurts, overall the athletes top out at 2.5 times the metabolic rate needed for basic body functions.
- Science & Society
Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. Ancient customs might inspire a reset
As evidence of alcohol's harms mounts, some people are testing out sobriety. Look to ancient civilizations' ways for a reset, scholars suggest.
- Health & Medicine
An estimated 54,600 young children are malnourished in Gaza
A study that screened young children in Gaza for malnutrition found that nearly 16 percent suffered from wasting in August 2025.
- Archaeology
Fossil hand bones point to tool use outside the Homo lineage
The fossil wrist and thumb bones suggest Paranthropus boisei could grasp tools around 1.5 million years ago.
- Health & Medicine
You’re probably eating enough protein, but maybe not the right mix
Protein is having a moment. But even if most people are eating enough protein, studies suggest they may not be eating the right mix.
- Health & Medicine
Are ultraprocessed foods truly addictive?
Ultraprocessed foods can create powerful pulls similar to those of alcohol, nicotine or opioids, with worrisome consequences for our health.
- Health & Medicine
Finding immune cells that stop a body from attacking itself wins medicine Nobel
Shimon Sakaguchi discovered T-reg immune cells. Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell identified the cells’ role in autoimmune disease.
- Health & Medicine
New oral GLP-1 drugs could offer more options for weight loss
GLP-1 injections use needles and require refrigeration. Pills that work in a similar way could be a cheaper, simpler solution.
