Humans
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- 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.
- Health & Medicine
Some countries have eliminated malaria, but cases are growing elsewhere
Egypt was added to the list of malaria-free places in 2024, but climate change, conflict and other threats could increase cases especially in Africa.
- Health & Medicine
During an allergic response, some immune cells digest others
Mast cells lure and trap other immune cells during allergic reactions, using their compounds to increase inflammation in a process dubbed nexocytosis
- Archaeology
The oldest known ritual chamber in the Middle East has been found
Engravings and other evidence suggest ancient humans attended religious ceremonies in the cave as early as 37,000 years ago.
- Health & Medicine
A squid-inspired medical device could reduce the need for needles
The device, which directs a liquid by mimicking squids’ high-pressure jets, could provide alternative delivery methods for injectable drugs.
- Health & Medicine
Proposed time limits on anesthesia may have jeopardized patient safety
Blue Cross Blue Shield’s now rescinded plan to put time limits on anesthesia put a spotlight on a poorly understood profession.
- Health & Medicine
How the weight loss drug tirzepatide is also helping heart failure patients
Data continue to show that tirzepatide, called Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss, is safe and effective, but side effects remain.
- Climate
Climate change made 2024 the hottest year on record. The heat was deadly
Heat waves fueled by climate change killed scores of people and upended daily life. Here are some of those stories.
- Humans
Dietary evidence bolsters Clovis hunters’ reputation as mammoth killers
Mammoths made up as much as 40 percent of the ancient North Americans’ diet, a chemical analysis of human remains reveals.
- Archaeology
Neandertals may have built a hearth specifically to make tar
Findings from a cave in Gibraltar suggests Neandertals may have used complex fire structures to obtain adhesives from plants.
- Anthropology
Footprints offer a rare look at ancient human relatives crossing paths
The imprints put flat-footed and arched-foot walkers together at a prime spot in East Africa.
