Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Neuroscience
Out-of-sync body clock causes more woes than sleepiness
The ailment, called circadian-time sickness, can be described with Bayesian math, scientists propose.
- 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.
