Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Health & Medicine
Stage 0 breast cancer patients may not need to rush to surgery
Women with Stage 0 breast cancer who got biannual mammograms and delayed surgery for two years fared as well as those who got immediate surgery.
- Health & Medicine
Deaths related to the cold have grown since 1999 in the U.S.
From 1999 to 2022, the rate of cold-related deaths rose from about 4 per 1 million people to 9 per 1 million in the United States.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s how public health fared in 2024
Viral outbreaks, extreme heat and access to clean water are among the year’s big public health headlines.
- Archaeology
Archaeology’s top discoveries of 2024 include preserved brains and a lost city
From the plight of ancient Egyptian scribes to the identities of ancient Maya sacrifices, 2024 brought a rich medley of insights into human history.
- Anthropology
Britain’s largest ancient massacre may have included cannibalism
Bones recovered from a natural shaft unveil a 4,000-year-old massacre of men, women and children, possibly part of a cycle of revenge killings.
- Space
These discoveries in 2024 could be groundbreaking — if they’re true
Did microbes ever live on Mars? Did an "elevator" help build Egypt’s first pyramid? Some signs pointed to yes this year, but confirmation is still needed.
- Health & Medicine
Cancer screening and quitting smoking have saved nearly 6 million lives
Prevention, screening and treatment advances combined stopped 5.94 million deaths from cancer in the United States from 1975 through 2020.
- Anthropology
Humans have linked emotions to the same body parts for 3,000 years
3,000-year-old clay tablets show that some associations between emotion and parts of the body have remained the same for millennia.
- Genetics
Neandertal genes in people today came from hook-ups around 47,000 years ago
Most present-day humans carry a small amount of Neandertal DNA that can be traced back to a single period of interbreeding, two genetic analyses find.
- Health & Medicine
These are the viruses that defined 2024
Here’s the latest on mpox, bird flu, dengue and other viral outbreaks that flared up this year.
- Health & Medicine
The benefits of Ozempic and its kin may extend far beyond weight loss
Studies suggest that semaglutide reduces heart attack and stroke and may curb addiction and more. Scientists reflect on the future of GLP-1 drugs beyond weight loss.
- Health & Medicine
U.S. hospitals continue to shut down labor and delivery services
More than half of rural hospitals and more than one-third of urban hospitals did not offer labor and delivery services in 2022.
