Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Life
Placenta protectors no match for toxic Strep B pigment
Strep B uses a toxic pigment made of fat to kill immune system cells, spurring preterm labor and dangerous infections, a monkey study shows.
- Health & Medicine
Baby-led weaning is safe, if done right
Babies who fed themselves solid foods, called baby-led weaning, were no more likely to choke than spoon-fed babies, a new study finds.
- Psychology
Erasing stigma needed in mental health care
Social forces drive those in need away from mental health care.
- Materials Science
Superflexible, 3-D printed “bones” trigger new growth
New ultraflexible material could be the future of bone repair, but awaits human testing.
- Health & Medicine
50 years ago, noise was a nuisance (it still is)
In 1966, scientists warned of the physical and psychological dangers of a louder world.
- Psychology
Chimps, other apes take mind reading to humanlike level
In a first, apes show that they understand when others hold false beliefs.
- Science & Society
Sometimes failure is the springboard to success
Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses scientific discoveries that resulted from failures large and small.
- Humans
Animal hybrids may hold clues to Neandertal-human interbreeding
The physical effects of interbreeding among animals may offer clues to Neandertals’ genetic mark on humans.
- Tech
CT scans show first X-rayed mummy in new light
An ancient Egyptian child became the first mummy to be X-rayed in 1896. Today, CT scans reveal new insights into the child’s life — and death.
- Health & Medicine
Deciphering cell’s recycling machinery earns Nobel
The 2016 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his work on autophagy, a process that cells use to break down old parts for future use.
- Anthropology
Big Viking families nurtured murder
Vikings in Iceland got a murderous boost from having large extended families.
- Health & Medicine
Japanese scientist wins Nobel for revealing secrets of cellular recycling
Discovering how cells act as mini recycling plants wins the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for Japanese cell biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi.
